Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess The Return
by LightWorldMidna
Summary: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - The Return. Ganondorf's last words were "Do not think this ends here..." Because it doesn't! A Sequel to the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Except, what if, this time, it's the Twilight Realm that needs to be saved? Contains a bit of a LinkxMidna LinkxZelda love triangle... Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Midna**

_[AN: The first few chapters are simply setting the scene and the story, so are very short. They will get longer as the story progresses. I'm sorry if the first few chapters are a little badly written, but as I get in to the story they should get better *crosses fingers and grins sheepishly*]_

I sat upon the balcony railings of the palace and stared at the black clouds above. _"The black clouds of twilight are so fetching today..." _I regretted those words. I silently willed the twilit sky above me to turn to night, just as it had in the world of light. I knew it would never happen - Just as I knew I would never see light and darkness separated ever again, only this dull combination of the two that I had once loved. A chill ran through the air, and with a whisper of remorse, I glanced once more at the ground where the portal created by the Mirror of Twilight once was, and stalked back to the throne room.  
I am the princess of the Twili, princess of the Twilight Realm. The only ruler to have ever been touched by the Wold of Light since my very ancestors who were banished to this realm. It was there that I had met those who changed my life, and it was there that I cut off the only connection I had with them. I wished I hadn't.  
What I'd give to have Link by my side now...

_Do not think this ends here...  
_The last words of Ganondorf had haunted me ever since I had returned. I woke with my heart in my chest as I clutched the covers to myself, as if they would protect me. Utterly exhausted, too tired to even cry for my self-inflicted misery, I dressed myself and forced myself to the throne room once again for my daily duties._  
_Honestly, I only got out of my bed to finish my work and sit on the balcony once again. It was then that I wondered, 'why do I inflict such distress on myself?' I knew why. I hoped with all my heart that if I regretted it enough, if I was in enough pain, the goddesses may hear my cries and have mercy on me._  
_I felt like a child. I wanted to be a child - then everyone would tell me it was going to be okay, and fix my mistake. But now, with no mother and no father, there was no one I could show such weakness to. I was utterly alone.

Another day over, with the last Twili out of my throne room, without even a look at my advisor, I stood and made my way to the balcony. He had learnt long ago it was not worth following me. He knew what was wrong, and he knew I would never let it get in the way of my duties, and that was all he cared about.  
I longed for Link and Zelda's selfless words. I looked at my hand as I perched on the railings once again. I loved my real body, but if being an imp once again meant I could return to the world of light, I would give up this body once and for all.  
_Give up this body once and for all..._ The words echoed around my head as I looked down. As I stared at the ground below, I wondered silently whether if I jumped, if I did indeed give up this body, if I could be granted passage to the world of light? A single tear fell from my eyes and fell into the darkness below, so far below it disappeared. I couldn't jump. I just couldn't. I had my people. I had my duty. That tear reminded me of the Mirror Chamber in the Arbiter's Grounds, and I glanced at the place of the portal once more.

And there, where the portal had once been, I could have sworn I had seen the image of the triforce before I blinked the sight away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Zelda**

"Excuse me," I quietly closed the heavy door and looked around. "I'm here looking for someone..."  
The woman behind the bar turned to look at me and a warm smile spread across her face. "Come on in, honey. Make yourself at home. Now, who might it be that you're looking for?" I looked around, and upon seeing no one other than the group around the table in the back throroughly engaged in their descussion, I decided it was safe to remove my hood. The woman behind the bar didn't act as surprised as I had expected her to, her smile simply widened. "Princess Zelda, what an honour to have you in my bar. I'm Telma. I guess you're here for Link?"  
"Yes," I replied, smiling, thankful for her warm welcome. "Is he here?" I cast my eyes around the room, but I already knew the answer.  
"Sorry, he's not here. He hasn't been for a few days."  
I looked at the floor for a moment, then looked back at Telma. "I'm sorry to hear that. After the battle I told him he must visit the castle, and I wanted to invite him to dine with me tonight as thanks for saving both my kingdom and myself, now that the castle has been repaired."  
Telma nodded. "I'll be sure to tell him if I see him."  
We said our goodbyes and I left. I wondered if it was worth a visit to Ordon, but even then it wasn't certain Link would be there. I could only hope that he decided to visit Telma's bar soon, as there were a few things I wanted to discuss with him over dinner - and the sooner the better.  
I stood outside the bar for a short while, staring up at the sky and wondering if the rain would ease any time soon. I was tempted to go out to Hyrule field - the field north of Kakariko Village where Link had finished the battle with the power hungry Ganondorf. But the rain wasn't making my mood any better than it already was, and with a sigh, I began on my way back to the castle, not feeling like going out again today.  
On my way back through the gates, I told the guards to keep an eye out for Link. Not knowing how long he planned to be before returning, I decided it was best to send a letter for him with the Postman.  
I thought about what to write as I climbed the tower steps and decided it was best to be outright and honest.

_Link,_

_It has been long enough since the battle for the castle repairs to be complete, and I now wish to come true on my offer of inviting you to the castle. I wish to invite you to attend a dinner with me, not only in thanks for your service to Hyrule, but there are a few matters we must discuss. I hope you can make it soon, and please, be safe._

_Zelda._

Sealing the envelope and sending it off with one of the servants, I looked out of my window as I had done many times before, thankful for there being no more everlasting clouds of Twilight. I did miss Midna, and I wondered how she was faring with her own kingdom. But that did not make me any fonder of the Twilight. As the light began to fade and twilight covered the skies once again, I couldn't look any longer. I tore myself from the window and decided to sleep then, oblivious to the obnoxiously long hour of twilight that today brought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Link**

_[AN: I decided to write Link in the third person rather than first, as he is never given a voice quite the same as Midna and Zelda are, and I don't want to ruin his character with my own version of him, so I will try my best to give you enough space to create your own image of Link, just as the games do!]_

Link dragged his feet up the last few steps and leaned against a pillar, taking a moment to catch his breath, wiping the sweat from his brow before it dripped into his eyes. He remembered when he thought travelling to Gerudo Desert this often was a good idea. The heat never eased up, but at least the passage through Arbiter's Grounds was becoming easier with each visit.  
It was pleasant, to say the least, to be able to have somewhere to go, even if it didn't make him happier. By him alone, he had no doubt that Fabi and Fyer were turning over a huge profit. Epona, no doubt, got tired of the same route over and over. Fado probably found it a pain to have to look after the ranch on his own so much, even since Link was back home.  
Everything was against him coming here time and time again, but he just couldn't bring himself to stop. It was simply too special a memory for him to just stop. The trip was difficult, bearing what he found every time was difficult, but he could only hope that once, just once, he'd arrive, and what he'd find would be... _different. _Not knowing if the place had changed when he wasn't there was the most difficult part.  
It wasn't like he could tell anyone what he was looking for.  
Or why he was looking for it.  
Drawing one, last, shaking breath, weary from the trip, Link began to walk to the Mirror Chamber once again. The sun had set as he'd been resting and the heat of the day had begun to subside. His footsteps echoed into the slowly gathering dusk.  
As he approached the pedestal that once held the Mirror of Twilight, he had to close his eyes for the memories that came flooding back, causing him to sway slightly on his feet. The scenes played out inside his mind, yet somehow real enough for him to close his eyes to hide them.  
_See you later...  
_If only that meant he really would see Midna later. He opened his eyes and gave the mirror stand a mournful look.  
Something on the stand caught his eye, glinting in the gathering darkness. Curious, he picked it up. It seemed to be a shard of the very mirror that once settled there, but the design on it was the triforce – the centre piece – but the shard was too small.  
Pondering the meaning of the mysterious piece, he looked up at the huge rock, turning the shard over and over in his hand as his thoughts clamoured indecisively. Was this really a piece of the mirror? Or was he mistaken about the size of the centre piece?  
Without warning, the triforce on the back of his hand began to burn, as did the shard he was holding – almost as if in reaction to each other.  
He dropped the shard and grabbed his burning hand, clutching it to his chest. The shard began to emanate a white glow which seemingly expanded, setting his vision spinning. It took him a moment to realise that it wasn't his vision that was spinning. It was the portal.  
Before he even had the chance to take a step forwards, a creature materialized from through the portal. Its body was black, marked with the blue patterns that identified it was a Twilight being. But its face was covered by a horrendous mask that identified it as none other than a shadow beast. The agonizing searing of his hand rendered him unable to even draw his sword, and sensing its chance, the shadow beast let out a soul curdling screech.  
Unlike the screech of the other shadow beasts Link had encountered, this one didn't raise its fallen brethren. This one brutally ripped apart the fabric of reality, tearing shadows from the ground and leaving them to float as wisps of darkness skywards until they faded into nothingness. The starless sky was wrenched in two, the darkness forming into impenetrable black clouds and the light shining from an indistinguishable point behind them with a yellowish glow that bathed Gerudo Desert and the Arbiter's Grounds in the unmistakable hue of the Twilight.  
As the sky spread into the Twilight, the burning heat spread from Link's hand to his arm and to the rest of his body, sending a smouldering pain through his heart. The pain in his chest became almost unbearable when the heat like flames turned to a frigid cold which began to spread outwards, consuming all heat, and with it, his human form. The feeling of ice brought the body of the wolf that consumed him entirely.  
Having not experience the pain of the change in so long, the shock rendered him exhausted deep down to his very spirit. His legs gave a tremble, then another, and then buckled beneath him.  
His last sight before a black wave of fatigue enveloped him was the faceless form of the shadow beast moving towards him with fearlessness and purposefulness.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Midna**

I sighed and sent the last of the guards from the throne room. I didn't look at my advisor, nor did I speak, but unlike any other day, I did not immediately stand and depart for the balcony that overlooked the platform of the portal.  
I knew he was looking me over before he spoke. His voice was quiet, hesitant, as if almost weary to offend. "Would you like for me to send for a healer?"  
I leaned my face on my hand and looked at him. It was the first time I had looked at him properly since I began to spend my evenings secluded on the balcony – I had always avoided his gaze, feeling guilty. His brow was creased with worry as he looked at me, and I considered my previous thoughts of him caring nothing for my well-being. I silently wished to take them back, as I decided my judgement was harsh and had been tempered by my foul mood. I offered him a feeble smile that was, to me, an apology, to him, a thanks for his concern. "Why would you need use of a healer?" I tried to keep my voice free of any hint of my suffocating, heavy mood.  
His eyes flicked over me and his speech continued to be laboured by doubt. "Princess, I believe you may be ill..." I opened my mouth to interrupt and give him my thanks, but he politely held up his hand, signalling that he wasn't finished. "You don't seem yourself. You seem stressed, you look overly tired, and it is clear that your mind is elsewhere, not really here with us."  
Swallowing guiltily, my thoughts immediately turned to the World of Light. Not wanting to reveal quite how weak I felt, I decided to say as little as I could get away with. "Thank you for your concern, and I will confidently admit to you that I am not really as okay as I wish everyone to believe. Leaving the World of Light has taken its toll on me. But these are wounds that only time, not magic, can heal. I will return to my full strength, in time."  
He looked no less worried, and there was a pause before he replied. "Your time in the World of Light has tempered your sense with the upmost of wisdom." His words almost diverted the subject, allowing me to avoid his prying without feeling too guilty.  
"I spent some time with some very wise people." I smiles as I thought of Princess Zelda.  
He said nothing in reply. After a pause he excused himself, and I was left alone in the throne room. I spent a few moments simply looking around the room, trying to keep my thoughts off the Light-Dweller's world. I was trying to convince myself that nothing between our worlds would change now; being that it had been so long without anything changing before now. If I believed that, I would be able to stop myself from going to the balcony and allow time to heal those very wounds. I decided I did not want to heal just yet. _To heal from this now is to forget before I can forgive and become ignorant of everything I have learnt._  
Standing resolutely, I straightened my robes and walked briskly towards the balcony. I felt tears pricking at my eyes; half of me longed to see the balcony and to be there in case something happened, imploring me to move faster to make up for lost time, but the other half of me seemed to be crying out to me to stop, still in the throne room, trying to pull me back, to come to a reasonable arrangement.  
I thought to myself as I walked that it seemed light really did vanquish darkness. The Light World side of me had won over, taking me as close as I could get, where as the Twilight World me still sat in my throne, continuing life as I should have.  
_Stop. _I cut off my own thoughts. _You are over-tired and stressed. You are beginning to sound insane._ Taking a deep breath, I gave my head a gentle shake and recomposed myself, making my posture resolute to those I passed in the halls.  
If I could not beat the Light World side of me – the imp that was still inside of me – then I shall let it win. It was in the World of Light that I became a better person, so why should it not stand that that the imp was a better person than me?  
I finally stepped out onto the balcony and drew a deep, deep breath. Now I had become at peace with my quarrelling self, I was able to at least appreciate the Twilight, even if not able to like it. _Perhaps this was how Link felt when I told him the Twilight would grow on him?_ It startled me that I seemed to be able to think so similarly to a Light-Dweller and just how similar to one I had become.  
I was just contemplating whether I really belonged here in the Twilight Realm when something while caught my eye. I rushed over to the railing to the balcony in time to see the portal being opened. The portal between this world and the World of Light. Except it wasn't as big as the portal opened by the Mirror of Twilight had been, it wasn't quite right. It, even in its spectral form, wavered like a tree in the wind.  
Before my mind processed what was actually happening, a shadow beast, the same as Link had fought many times over during our quest, slipped through the portal. And then it shattered.  
I did not notice the other shadow beasts who occupied themselves with clearing the area near where the portal had been of the Twili who were gathered there. I barely even noticed the shadow beasts themselves. I noticed only the portal.  
Discarding my suspicions surrounding its wavering and its shattering, the only thought that occupied my brain was _the bond between my world and the World of Light is not severed completely. I am able to return to Hyrule. _I stepped away from the railings and headed back into the palace, hurrying down to the front doors to confront the air where the portal once was. _I will be able to see Link again._

I did not notice the portal reappearing. I did not notice the shadow beast returning. And I did not notice the unconscious wolf the shadow beast dragged behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Link**

The unconsciousness was restless. It was like trying to sleep while being plagued by memories that stirred every emotion and every instinct and stopping his mind from resting, let alone his body. The worst memories came back from his quest – Being knocked unconscious the first time and then being pulled into the Twilight Realm, becoming a wolf, adjusting to being a wolf, finding out the children were missing while he was traipsing around after Midna... Midna practically enslaving him, finding out what had become of Zelda, Midna almost dying, Zelda disappearing, finding out what Midna really was, having to fight Zelda as Ganondorf's puppet, and Midna leaving his world once and for all. If he was conscious, he was certain he would be howling in despair.  
He had no idea how much time had passed, but when consciousness did come, it was fleeting and brief. He guessed it hadn't been long, because what he saw was the white blackness of the space between the two worlds, the inside of the portal. His eyes were open long enough for him to distinguish that before he was pulled under again. This time, the unconsciousness was like a void; it was black, deep, and he felt nothing. Not the sensation of falling or floating, no happiness or despair, no pain or comfort. That, in itself made the experience uncomfortable and unnerving.  
He did have another flash of reality, but this time it wasn't something he recognised. He saw the yellow light behind black clouds, he saw the darkness floating up from the floor and dissipating and he saw more shadow beasts than the one that was dragging him. As he was pulled back into the void once more, one conscious thought echoed through his mind. _The Twilight Realm._

When he woke once more, any feeling of time eluded him. He felt rested and refreshed and there was no hint of the fatigue that had pulled him under in the first place. His wolf form remained, and when he thought back over the past few waking moments, he decided the only place he could be was the Twilight Realm, and he was certain of it. Had it been a day? Had it been two days? There was no way to tell.  
A feeling of extra weight plagued his front paw. Looking down, he saw the shackle that remained from his first imprisonment – re-chained and reinforced. With a snort, he lowered his head and gave it a quick sniff, and upon finding nothing suspicious, began to tug at it.  
It was a futile thing to do, but it at least gave him some sense of purpose. He paused long enough to examine the cell for something that could be used to break the chain, and that was all. He returned to pawing and chewing.

**Zelda**

"Princess?" There was a knock at the door.  
Looking up from the desk, I called a simple "Come in."  
One of the servants opened the door and bowed to me. "I have two letters for you Princess Zelda."  
My heart leapt. It had been over a week since I had sent the letter to Link, and I hadn't seen anything from him, nor had I heard anything from him. One of the letters had to be from him – an apology and an explanation, or perhaps when he would be coming. I stood up and turned to the girl at the door, who was holding the two letters carefully, if not awkwardly. "Who are they from?"  
"The first one," she handed the letter to me, and my mind whirled at the sight of my own writing. "Is the letter you wrote to Master Link. The Postman asked it to be returned to you, as he hasn't seen Link for the past week or so." I almost swayed on my feet. It was indeed worrying. "And the second is from Telma." The girl handed me the letter. I gave her my thanks and she left.  
I wanted to distract myself from my worries about Link, so I sat down again and turned my attention immediately to Telma's letter. I wasn't sure what I had hoped for – a letter about how her bar could better service the soldiers with some extra funding or something – but it didn't succeed in distracting me. It only deepened my concern.

_Zelda,_

_After your visit to my bar just over a week ago, I ensured that even my friends kept an eye out for Link, and it worries me to say that none of us have seen him. He usually visits the bar at least once a week, just to keep up with old friends, if nothing else.  
But that is not the only reason for me writing to you. I think you should come to my bar as soon as you can, as a few of my friends have some rather unnerving things to report, and I think it's best they tell you in person._

_Telma._

I had tried to persuade myself not to worry because I would have been speculating about what was probably nothing, but Telma's letter decided me. If Telma's friends had some information that could help me locate Link, I would hear them out, happily.  
I pulled the cloak and my scarf out of the wardrobe once again and put them on with the upmost of urgency. Neatly tucking the scarf into the hood of the cloak, I looked at my desk. Feeling slightly bashful, I took both letters and hid them within the folds of my cloak. I couldn't explain why, I just got the feeling that no one should know that I had been going to such lengths to find Link. I had a feeling there was more to it than me simply being private about it.

Closing the door, I pulled down my hood and walked over to the bar. "Telma, I came as soon as I received your letter." I breathed.  
Telma nodded to me and stepped out from behind the bar, gesturing for me to follow her as she led me to the back of the room. "This way. Honestly, I thought you might not consider this matter to be very urgent and might not come this evening."  
I smiled meekly. "I'm not sure why I consider this to be so urgent myself, but something is not letting me push this out of my mind."  
"I trust your wisdom, Princess." Telma smiled at me. "Allow me to introduce my friends. This is Shad, Ashei, Auru and Rusl." She pointed at each of them in turn, and they all said their 'hello's and 'pleased to be in your presence's respectively. Telma then looked at me. "No doubt this is taking a large chunk out of your busy day, Princess, so let us get straight to the point. About Link... Rusl?" She turned to look at the last man sat around the table, who stood up and bowed to me.  
Pushing down the feeling of impatience in my stomach, I raised my hand and released him from his obeisance. "Do you know where Link is?" I asked.  
"Unfortunately, no." He replied. "I am from Ordon, the same hometown as Link. None of us have seen him for almost two weeks."  
"Did he say anything when he left?" I asked.  
"Yes. He left with his mare, Epona. He had been leaving Ordon every few weeks to go to the same place – Gerudo Desert." As soon as he said that, the pit of uneasiness in the bottom of my stomach deepened. _He went to the Mirror Chamber. _  
"And that leads us to what Auru has found." Telma said, gesturing to Auru, who stood up after Rusl sat down.  
"It's both fascinating and worrying at the same time. I am fascinated by the Arbiter's Grounds and Gerudo Desert." Auru explained. "So yesterday, I was on the watch tower at Lake Hylia, and looking over Gerudo Desert, I saw something rather... Ominous."  
Swallowing the fear in my throat, I quietly replied, "What was it?"  
Auru gave me a look that was unreadable, but said he was worried for the safety of Hyrule all the same. "Princess Zelda, I'm afraid I don't have a name for it. Arbiter's grounds seemed to be covered by some wall of darkness. It was covered by black clouds, and it didn't look like daylight, nor as dark as night. It was almost like an everlasting twilight."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Midna**

I sat on the balcony and stared up at the sky, thinking. When I finally glanced down to the empty air where the portal had manifested, I realised I hadn't been to this balcony in a week. Last week, when I saw the portal, I ran as fast as I could, hoping to see the portal again, to touch it. _To return to the World of Light. _I swallowed guiltily when the thought crossed my mind.  
After all, I hadn't been on the balcony for the past week because I was too busy. Everyone in the palace was busy. The day after tomorrow, I will have ruled the Twili for ten years. The celebrations were due to be a week long – a week that just so happened to coincide with my birthday. In other words, it was a big deal, and the preparations were elaborate and time consuming. This was the first time I had any time free to spend by myself, and I only just noticed how tired I was as I let out a yawn. I hadn't had much time to sleep in the past week, and finding the portal had disappeared when I reached it had made the sleep I did get restless and regretful. _If I had run quicker...If I had thought of warping... If I had spent my time alone down there, instead of watching from afar...  
_I stopped staring at the platform and looked up at the sky once more. It was a rather clear day, not many clouds were about, and the yellow hue of the Twilight sky reminded me of the sunrises I watched with Link. Before I self-piteously drowned myself in the memories, my eyes snapped open and I looked straight at the sky. The yellow was a lot like a sunrise in the World of Light. _Sunrise...? _The yellow was usually a drab, almost brown colour, but today, it was closer to a pure yellow that made the black clouds seem out of place. _The Twilight is too bright, _I realised, squinting slightly at the sky. _Something is very, very wrong._  
I cast my gaze downwards to the evening market going on below, but the daily lives of the Twili were continuing as usual. Or, almost as usual. I noticed a few subtle differences as I watched for longer. Many seemed to be treating it as simply a day of good weather, which always lightened people's moods. Many were going about their business with at least a smile on their faces. But as I watched for longer, I noticed some of them darting from one patch of shade to another, and others pausing in their conversations to fan themselves.  
The only reason I could find for this, the only thing that I could think of that could link these two phenomena was something that I hadn't even known had existed until recently – The World of Light's sun.  
The Sol's that gave light to the Twilight Realm emitted very little heat, so this word always had, what Link had called, an 'unearthly chill'. The Twili had a high tolerance for temperature, high or low. I raised my hand and looked to the sky. Normally, the blue glowing marks that trailed over my skin and down to my fingers held a warmth, or at least compared to the cold of the Twilight Realm. Now, they were barely warmer than the air around me.  
In the World of Light, they burned the temperature of ice.  
I couldn't explain it. Was the Twilight becoming Light? I glared up at the sky and bared my teeth. _What can I do?_ I lowered my head and closed my eyes. Perhaps I was imagining things – I was tired. It was an unusually warm day, and that was all. _I need sleep._ Giving a snort and throwing my hands up in the air in frustration, I turned and returned to my bed chamber. I threw myself onto the bed and quickly fell asleep.

**Zelda**

I stared out over Gerudo Desert at the Arbiter's Grounds. I was staring into a huge cloud of Twilight. My suspicions had been confirmed. It had been a few days since I had spoken to Auru, but now was the first chance I'd had to see the Twilight with my own eyes.  
I stood on the Great Bridge of Hylia, my horse behind me. I was backed by a group of my soldiers, all who stared at the Desert with undisguised confusion and fear. I stared at the Twilight without saying a thing, clutching the cloak I was wearing at my chest as its folds billowed out with the wind. I had my hood down, and my hair blew about my face and clung to my cheeks, damp with tears.  
I wiped my face dry with one hand and continued to stare out at the desert. I _had_ wondered how Midna was doing in her kingdom, and I did miss her, but I would never wish the turmoil of the Twilight invading Hyrule upon my people a second time.  
I stood, almost in vigil, staring at Arbiter's Grounds for a long while. I would've thought that my mind would be whirling with possibilities of what would happen to my kingdom now, but my mind was silent. The only sounds were the wind and the lapping of the water of Lake Hylia below me.  
"Let us go." I turned to the head of the soldiers who were with me. "I have seen all I need to see. We return to Hyrule Castle." My voice sounded ghastly and hollow, but remained strong and firm – for that, I was thankful. One of the soldiers helped me mount my horse and we began a steady trot back to Castle Town. I was surrounded by soldiers on every side, so I didn't need to give my horse any direction. Instead, I continued looking over Gerudo Desert as long as I could. I was looking so closely, I was almost certain I saw the black clouds within the Twilight almost reach out into the sky. I blinked a few times and rubbed my eyes, but just then we passed the collection of boulders that signalled that we were near Castle Town, and I lost sight of the Twilight.

It was just past midday when I got back to my room, and with nothing other than the Twilight occupying my mind, I slipped my cloak back away into the cupboard and headed straight for the window. Without the Mirror of Twilight, our worlds were meant to be forever apart, yet something had slipped through.  
As I looked out of the window, I noted the change in the colour of the sky with a sense of dread and foreboding. The sky over Gerudo Desert surrounding the Arbiter's grounds was much, much blacker, even outside the Twilight. The difference in the sky colour was obvious.  
Holding my hands to my heart, I looked out towards the black clouds. I knew this wasn't over. I thought it had finished, but it seemed that, in fact, this was the beginning. And now, without the great Hero Link, I wondered if maybe this could even be the end.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Midna**

_[AN: Here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for – 'The Return'! I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. Enjoy!]_

I wondered if I was going mad.  
I was stood on the balcony again that morning, ignoring the uproar I had caused in the palace this morning by disappearing off by myself when there was work that needed to be done. But I simply could not ignore it – Something was wrong, and whether I knew how to stop it or not, it was my responsibility, and I had to do everything in my power to stop it, no matter the cost.  
I had slept fitfully, and I felt no warmth in the marks on my body. Presuming I was not ill, the temperature in the Twilight Realm had increased quite a way in such a small space of time. Being out in the open air did not provide the comfort I had hoped for, as the sky had lightened noticeably since last night. The sky was so pale, and I could honestly say that the black clouds, few though there were, looked like hideous open wounds.  
I couldn't bear thinking such things about my home. But if thinking those things made me more honest with myself about what was happening, I would have to live with it. If it could possibly make me feel any better, I was certain something was wrong with the World of Light too. The open space where the portal had been was the palest part of the sky, and it seemed to be the centre.  
I knew it was times like these that a Princess should never leave her kingdom and her people, unsure of what was happening, but I had to return to the World of Light. I had to find Link.  
Knowing I had left the servants in distress for long enough, and no doubt severely knocked my days schedule back at least a half hour, I returned to my quarters to begin my day.

I stood in front of the non-existent portal, my cloaked figure indistinguishable from any other Twili's. Looking up at the sky, and certain the supposed perpetual Twilight was darker than usual, I knew this was the only thing I could do.  
The day had gone relatively smoothly, and all of the preparations were complete for the celebration. I was supposed to be getting a good night's rest to make sure I, myself, were prepared, but I had barely slept when I tried because I was too worried about what would happen if I put this off for even a mere week.  
I felt like a traitor for leaving, and a coward for not telling anyone. _But they coped just fine when I wasn't here before._ I had tried to reason with myself so many times... I wasn't even sure whether I was convincing myself that this was the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do anymore.  
_They will wait for me to return. _I thought resolutely. _I don't plan to be gone long, either._  
Before I could go back on my decision, I faced the open air before me. Mustering the ancient magic I had inherited as my birthright, I held my hand up to where the portal once was. Focusing my mind on my memories of the World of Light, I used my mind to send my power forwards, into the very fabric of reality that bound our two kingdoms and tear it open – wide enough for me to pass through.  
A tumultuous ripping noise sounded in my ears and a piercing icy cold pain crawled up my arm, carrying with it a strength draining wariness. I didn't even have the energy in me to scream.  
Opening my eyes, I saw the same, ragged abomination of the portal that had been there before. Taking a weak, shuddering breath, I steeled myself up for what I knew would be an uneasy ride. This portal, unlike the original created by the Mirror, did not have the same disintegrating effect as warping – it was rather more physical. As I stepped into it, I seemed to trigger something – a wave of _something_ began to flow out of the portal, and when I noticed its warmth that caused my marks to freeze over, I could only guess that it was night air from the World of Light. Concluding that this was what was polluting my Realm, I realised the only thing I could do was to make my way through the portal as quickly as possible and close it before it was too late.  
As soon as my other foot touched the portal, I was quickly pulled away from my home. It was a terribly unpleasant experience; it was like being torn from reality and the physical plain and whipped around like leaves in a gale. I was spun, twisted, pulled in all directions and left with a deep feeling of nausea that penetrated every inch of me, right down to my soul.  
Leaving the portal was no better. Unlike the painless process of reintegrating after warping, this was like having my body replaced in crude orders until it was correct that left me with sharp pains and aches. And then I was thrown onto the floor with an unnecessary amount of force as the portal instantaneously closed behind me.  
Standing was an odd experience. Not only did my body feel alien after the whole reassembling routine on my way here, but it was different. A form I had not experienced for a while. I looked at my hands, my short, slim arms, and my tiny stature. I was an imp again.  
As if that realisation had wiped out the numbing shock of my ride here, I was now aware of the nausea that made me tremble so, the pain that was in my head and the dizzying feeling of being too close to the portal. Not the portal itself, but even without a true gateway between the worlds, something from the World of Light was being sucked through into the Twilight Realm and eating it away.  
This patch of Twilight in the World of Light was made of pure evil, and its sheer power suffocated me and made me feel even dizzier.  
Stumbling, I tried to get away as quick as I could. I pulled myself to the edge of the Mirror Chamber, and without a thought for the disorientation of changing forms, jumped.  
I landed ungraciously in the sand, but I quickly pushed myself up and ran, pulled, crawled – anything that got me out of the Twilight. At last I reached the wall of it, and summoning a scrap of the magic I had in me I opened it up enough for me to pull myself through, then collapsed on the other side and fulfilled my body wracking need to throw up.

Once I was sure enough of my nausea had passed for me to move on, I pushed myself out of the sand and stood – granted, I stumbled a few times, but I was upright none the less. Looking to the sky, I summoned forth every last slither of energy I had in me and warped myself to Hyrule Castle, to the tower, to Zelda.  
I barely noticed the warping at all. I only noticed the sharp pain that coursed through my body as I landed with a dull thud on the floor without even enough energy to move, let alone stand. Zelda turned around from the window and was staring at me with a clear expression of shock.  
"Plea-Please... Princess... I must... The Twilight Realm... Link... Help us..." I heard my sharp, impish voice echo around the room before I closed my eyes and let the world fade to black.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Zelda**

Unable to sleep, I had stood at my window once again. The Twilight at night was even more unnerving, as there was still a discernable difference between the night sky and the air above the Arbiter's Grounds. The Twilight was still light compared to the dark sky, and the air around it, instead of being darker, like during the day, it was lighter, lit by an eerie yellowish glow. It seemed like the Twilight was expanding, but not by way of taking the Light Spirit's power. It was unfortunate, as there was now no way I could think of that would cause it to recede, other than exterminating its source.  
A source I could not identify.  
The only thing I could think to do right now was to wait and hope for Link to return. He had experienced the Twilight before. He and Midna were the ones who returned Hyrule to its original state, not me. I may have helped in the final battle, but other than that, I did very little.  
Secretly, I hoped that this time, there was more I could do for my Kingdom.  
It was then, when I was just about to return to my bed and try my best to sleep, there was a horrible thud from behind me, followed by laboured, gasping breaths in a sharp, echoing voice.  
I turned, and was most surprised to see Midna lying before me, weak and pale, and above all else, an imp once more. "Plea-Please... Princess... I must... The Twilight Realm... Link... Help us..." Her voice echoed around the room, was followed by a few more gasping breaths, and then her eyes closed and her breathing became shallow.  
Knowing I could not call any guard or doctor in this case, I knew Midna's welfare now fell on my shoulders. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, preparing myself. Not knowing much about the Twili, I hoped I was right in believing she was simply exhausted.  
Picking her up gently, I laid her on my bed, knowing she needed it more than I did, and it was unlikely I would have been able to sleep anyway. Her body was icy cold – I wondered if she was possibly in shock. I pulled the sheet over her and tucked it around her to keep her warm.  
The marks on her body did not glow the bright cyan they usually did, instead they gave off a dull blue light that almost blended with the black of her skin. She did not have the fused shadow upon her head, and it was strange to see her without it. It made me notice just how small she was.  
Knowing there was nothing more for me to do, I pulled the chair from my writing desk to the bed and sat down. For a while, I continued to watch her. But when it became clear nothing would change, I closed my eyes in the hope that rest would come, to ease the time I would be waiting.

"Princess?" I felt a small hand on my knee. "Zelda, wake up." I recognised the voice immediately as Midna's. My sleep had been light, but restful all the same. Opening my eyes came easily.  
Midna was sat up in my bed, her hair was slightly ruffled, and she was looking at me with worry and slight desperation in her eyes. Seeing two, deep, crimson eyes looking back at me was a strange feeling where I was only used to seeing one.  
"Midna? How long was I...?" My voice trailed off and I looked out of the window.  
"I don't know," She raised her arms above her head in a stretch and yawned. "I only just woke up myself. I think it's morning."  
"Are you feeling okay?" She looked far more alive than she did yesterday – her eyes weren't as dull, she had the energy to move, and she was breathing and talking normally. The blue marks were lighter than they were yesterday, but they were still far from their usual cyan colour.  
She nodded. "Much better." Looking down at the bed she was in, her cheeks flushed slightly. "Uh, thank you."  
"It is the least I can do for a friend in need."  
Midna pushed the covers aside and hopped out of the bed, floating gently to the floor. I watched her, but didn't get out of the chair until she stood in front of the window, silent. I walked up behind her. "You can see what's happening to the Arbiter's Grounds, can't you?" She asked, her voice flat and expressionless.  
I nodded and stared at the cloud of Twilight. "Do you know what is happening?"  
She sighed and looked up at me, and gently shook her head. "I don't know exactly, but I have my suspicions. I could only describe it as the light and darkness being filtered from your Realm into mine, and my Twilight into yours. I have no idea how, or who is doing it."  
A question suddenly came to mind. "Midna, how did you come to this Realm? You, yourself, broke the Mirror of Twilight."  
She gave me a sly smile. "Whoever it is that is taking the light of your Realm left a portal similar to the Mirror portal in its place. I can't say the experience is anywhere near as pleasant..."  
"I can tell." I gave her a smile.  
"Ugh." She raised her hands to her head and swayed slightly. I immediately lowered my hands to steady her. She looked up at me through her fingers with a grin. "I feel horribly off balance without my Fused Shadow."  
I smiled. "I think I can help you there." I walked over to my wardrobe and reached up, taking the box from the top of it. I opened it and handed it to her, and she stared inside, shocked. "I collected what was left after Ganondorf crushed it. Almost a keepsake of you."  
She looked up at me, shocked and teary eyed. "You... You'd really do something like that?"  
I nodded. "I didn't think you'd return, and I didn't want to forget what you'd done for my kingdom."  
She turned away from me and rubbed her eyes. "You are far too selfless. I don't think I deserve such respect."  
"Don't say that, Midna." She looked back at me. "You do." I lifted the main part of the Fused Shadow out of the box. "It's a pity there was nothing that could be done to repair it."  
Giving me a teasing look, she repeated my words. "Don't say that, Zelda." She closed her eyes as she often did to focus before performing magic. I watched as the pieces of rock like material floated into the air around her. They all connected together – not quite seamlessly, as it left a few cracks, but it was in one piece once again. Then it slipped over her head and shrank to fit. She gave an experimental shake of her head, then floated over to the mirror and examined the crack in her reflection. "Not bad, huh?" She grinned at the reflection of me in the mirror, and I smiled back.  
"You never cease to amaze me."  
"Eee Hee! Guess I'm just too amazing!" She laughed and grinned at me. That was when I noticed that she had paid no mind to the dull colour of her markings.  
"Midna, do you mind if I ask you something?" She gave me a nod and continued to smile at me. I crouched down in front of her and gently laid a finger on the blue marking on her arms. "Your markings. Why has the colour changed?"  
She looked down at her own arms, and then waved one hand at me. "It's nothing to worry about. To put it simply, these markings are, in a way, the veins that transfer magic through our bodies. Making that portal physical enough for me to use took a lot of my power, and it will take me a few days to recover it."  
I nodded my thanks for her explanation. "I am glad it is nothing more serious. So why did you come here, if it would leave you defenceless?"  
"I honestly didn't know it would take so much out of me, for one thing. And the Twilight Realm is in trouble. I needed to find Link, no matter what."  
The gravity of the situation hit me then. Sinister forces were working against us now. I hated to be the bearer of bad news, but no one else could tell her. "Midna... Link has been missing for two weeks now."  
"What?" She bared her teeth in anger.  
"The last anyone saw of him, he was headed to the Arbiter's Grounds. It is my best assumption that he is in the Twilight Realm right now."  
"No!" She shouted, turning from me and stalking over to the window. "How could this happen without me knowing?"  
"Midna..." I began, trying to calm her.  
She slammed her tiny fists against the window sill. "If only I hadn't broken the Mirror of Twilight! If only I had paid more attention!"  
"Midna, this isn't your fault."  
"That's it!" She turned to face me. "I'm going back to the Twilight."  
"But you can't! In your condition-"  
"I will travel by foot. As I travel, magic will begin to flow through me once again, and I can re-create the portal. I must find Link!" She turned to face me, her eyes blazing.  
"You cannot go alone." I said.  
"Really? Who are you going to send with me? No one knows about the Twilight! I must go alone!"  
Realising this was my opportunity, I made my decision. I would not sit back and watch this time. Link could be in danger. "You won't go alone, Midna. I will go with you."  
She stared at me, her mouth agape. "You can't, Zelda! You're the Princess! You must stay here for your kingdom!" The strength in her voice and her argument withered as she caught sight of the determination in my eyes.  
"You are a Princess, are you not? And you left your kingdom." I replied.  
"It was the best thing for my people..." She muttered.  
"And I believe going with you is the best thing I can do for my kingdom, for your kingdom, and for Link. I am going with you to the Arbiter's Grounds."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Link**

_[AN: I have a huge apology to make – two, in fact. First, the smaller one – This chapter is very short, but it wasn't worth adding a second POV. Sorry if it's a disappointment! And Second – a huge apology – I think my story is taking a turn for the worse, I'm pretty sure this is a bad chapter, but I'll try to make it more interesting! (The story will have some great moments later on!) Oh, and the chapter is a little... Tacky-villain like. But that's the point, kinda. *worries about the declining quality of writing in this story*]_

Link had no idea how much time had passed. Waking hours were spent examining and re-examining every inch of the cell, tugging and chewing at the chain and shackle and sitting, thinking. The searching and the chewing brought no avail, and the thinking was circular and often succeeded in winding him up. It was simple things he already knew, such as _I wonder if there's a gap over there? _Or something he had no way to answer, like _Is this a dungeon in the Palace of Twilight, like the one in Hyrule Castle? Is Midna near here?_ The fact that he simply wondered if Midna would save him this time was fairly frustrating, as he doubted she even knew he was here.  
He had just about given up hope of being able to be awake just once and not mentally fight with himself when someone came in. He had lain down, growling to himself when he heard the sound of the huge door the other side of the bars being opened. He looked up, half expecting it to be Midna, and kicking himself when it wasn't. In fact, he didn't know who it was.  
The huge metal helmet that covered its face entirely reminded him instantly of Zant, and he stood and growled. But there was no way it could be Zant – this figure was too bulky in comparison, and a sight taller. Perhaps the helmets were traditional wear somewhere in the Twilight Realm? After all, there was no way this was Zant. Zant was dead.  
He laughed. "Hero, hm?" He gave Link a snide look. "I don't believe for a second that you, a pitiful, scrawny beast, saved the world." Link gave a quick glance at his 'scrawny' self. It was true – he had been getting my on minimal food and water, leaving him with protruding ribs. "You can't even get out of this cage..."  
Link stared at the figure for a long while. He wasn't sure whether it was looking back or not. Eventually, bored, he turned his back on him and lay down in the dust, ready to fall asleep again. "I'm sure you want to know why I'm here." He said. Link didn't get up, turn round, or even twitch his ears in return. "You see, I may not believe that you are the great Hero, but rumour has it that our Princess, Midna, spent a long, long time in the World of Light with a blue eyed beast, who was supposedly the Hero of the legend. And now, is it coincidental that Midna has gone missing?"  
Link couldn't help himself. He stood, turned on his heel and growled at him, slowly stalking closer to the bars. "Well, aren't you scary?" He let out a chuckle. "Well, thank you for giving me that very vital piece of information. You are indeed the blue eyed beast that Minda spent her time in the World of Light with. How interesting..."  
The figure began to pace up and down outside his cell. "I know you can hear me, beast. So I'll tell you exactly why you are here and let you wallow in guilt. I plan to leave you here, and send out one of my creatures to find Midna and intercept her. Now, I know she cannot be beaten so easily. But his orders are to let slip the fact that you are here. Then she will come running to your rescue, and I will capture her then. And then I shall exact my revenge." He laughed, almost hysterically, at what must have been a personal joke, then left.  
Link was beginning to see more similarities between the figure and Zant. He was a foolish captor, telling Link everything he needed to know to form some kind of plan. But one thing tripped him up. Revenge? What had Midna done? He wracked his brains for something she had told him, but he came up with nothing.  
He lay down, trying to think of something he could do with the information he had just been given. It was, just as any other bouts of thought he had submerged himself in, frustrating and circular. Now too worried about Midna to sleep, he stood up and looked around the cell. Spotting some bricks with an almost non-existent cementing, he wondered over to give it a thorough sniff. _I wonder if there's a gap over there?_

_[AN: Any reviews, good or bad, are welcome! I would love to improve my writing to a readable standard! ~And a huge thanks for reading this far!~]_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Midna**

I stared at my reflection. It was a strange feeling, seeing myself like this again. Not really a bad feeling, or really that _different_. I could only describe it as similar to returning to somewhere or something familiar, something that hadn't been experienced for a while. _Or at least something with happy memories, _I thought, smiling at myself in the mirror.

It was morning again – the second morning I'd seen here since my return. I'd practically begged Zelda to go sooner, but she told me that it would take her a while to be prepared for an outing without any soldiers, and she'd also pointed out that the more I rested and the more magic I regained the better. I had been rather tired at the time, so I didn't put up much of an argument. Instead, I happily curled up in her bed again and soon fell asleep. When I'd woken up, Zelda wasn't there. It was to be expected, with all the preparations she had, and I knew better than to risk being seen by going looking for her. Rather than sit around with nothing to do, I had floated out onto the roof and sat there watching the day to day life of the Light-Dwellers. Having watched them from afar, I noticed that they weren't that much different to the Twili. But that was from afar. Up close they were as similar to the Twili as I was to Princess Zelda. We were both princesses, just as they were both living beings, but that was as far as the similarities went.  
I knew I shouldn't have been angry at that, but it did tweak something in me. I wasn't even sure what. Instead of dwelling on it, I turned to watch the cloud of Twilight slowly expanding – So slow it was barely noticeable.  
That was until I woke up. I had dozed off on the roof, but was woken up by Zelda leaning out of the window and calling to me. The Twilight then covered an inch or so more each side. The sun had covered about half the sky since I fell asleep, so I guessed it had only been a few hours. It looked like it now covered the whole of Gerudo Desert. I sighed, stood, and floated back through the window to Zelda.  
"How long have you been out there?" She asked.  
I shrugged. For some reason the Twilight just made me feel depressed. I guessed it was because it made me wonder what was happening to the real Twilight, back home. "I don't know, a few hours, maybe? I wasn't asleep for long after you left me."  
"How do you feel now?" I almost winced at the concern in her eyes.  
I stared at her for a moment, dismayed. "I'm sorry!" I blurted.  
"Midna? What-?" She looked genuinely confused, and I clenched my hands into fists. _How could she not notice?_  
"Look out the window." I followed her as she did, and we both looked out the window in silence for a moment. Before she could turn to me and ask me what I was talking about, I explained. "You said before that the Twilight was only covering the Arbiter's Grounds, didn't you? Look – Now it's covering Gerudo Desert in its entirety. It's my fault."  
Her trusting eyes turned on me then, giving me the look that believed I could do nothing wrong, that this wasn't my fault. I gritted my teeth. "It's not your fault, Midna, you-"  
My patience ran out. "How can you be so foolish?" I shouted. "You think nothing bad of me – nothing bad of anyone! You don't get it!" Zelda looked so taken aback by this, which only served to annoy me further. "When I opened the portal big enough for me to pass through, it increased the pace at which the Twilight covers your realm!"  
Her eyes softened as she looked at me. "Midna, you weren't to know." She knelt down and rested a hand on my shoulder. "You shouldn't blame yourself."  
I slapped her hand away, furious. I knew I would never raise a hand against her, but as my fists clenched at my sides, I was scared that I might do something I would regret. I took a step towards her. "I _should _blame myself. _You _should too, but you don't! I made it worse, and in going back to the Twilight Realm, I will make worse again! And you forgive me! I really do wonder if the Goddesses blessed you with wisdom, because you are a fool, Zelda!" I stood in front of her, my chest heaving with the effort of yelling so much.  
When she said nothing and simply looked back at me with hurt in her eyes, I knew I'd overstepped a line, and I couldn't stop the tears from clouding my vision. I looked at my feet, all my fury now directed at myself. I waited for her to return my anger and harsh words, but she utterly surprised me by taking my hand, still balled up into a fist, into her hands. Shocked, I looked up at her and tried to pull my hand away, but she kept hold of it. "Midna, you may blame yourself, but I do not. Perhaps you did speed up the spread of the Twilight slightly, but you are not the one who caused it in the first place. You weren't to know it would cause such a problem. Besides, you came here with the best interests in mind, didn't you? To find Link."  
I stared at her, astounded. She was smiling gently at me, all signs of hurt gone. I pulled my hand away and hid it behind my back, feeling my cheeks get a little warm. "Well, yeah, I suppose..."  
She gave a small laugh. "Besides, you're going to do something about it now, aren't you? You're going to save Link and help him save your people."  
"And yours." I hastily added, giving her a sideways smile. Eager to change the subject, I floated into the air above her. "So? How did it go?"  
She stood up. "Perfectly. As long as I have a refresher in swordsmanship this afternoon, the master of the guard is allowing me to go alone. On the condition that I let no one know it is me, except for extenuating circumstances, of course."  
"Swordsmanship?" I questioned.  
"Yes. I shall bring my sword and my bow. Otherwise I would be no help to you, now would I?"  
"I can't say it actually occurred to me until now that we'd encounter anything we'd have to fight." I muttered, somewhat sheepish. I'm almost blindly dragged Zelda into danger.  
"It's a good thing that I thought of it then, isn't it?" She nodded her head at me. "I shall leave you now. We will depart in the morning."  
"Okay." I floated back to the ground and listened to her footsteps echo down the stairs. It was then that I realised she hadn't said anything in reply to my calling her foolish.

As I stared in the mirror, I realised, that evening and this morning, she had gone about business as if I'd never said it. In fact, she acted as if that conversation had never happened. I felt guilty for saying that, but I just didn't know how to apologise. What's said is said, and I couldn't take it back. I did _want_ to apologise, but I just couldn't find the right moment.  
"Midna? Are you ready to go?" I turned to see Zelda fastening the scarf around her neck.  
I floated over to her and leaned over her shoulder. "I was waiting for you."  
She finished fiddling with her scarf and turned her head to look at me. "Well, I'm almost ready. Have you done everything you wanted to do?"  
I rolled my eyes. That sounded like one of the questions I'd ask Link before warping him out of a dungeon or temple. "Of course, I only have to wait for you."  
"Well then," She pulled the cloak over her shoulders and pulled up the hood. "Let's go."  
We shared a look for a moment, then I let go of my physical form and became one with her shadow as she turned and walked out of the room.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Zelda**

_[AN: The map for this story is from the Wii version. The entire game is flipped from the GameCube (At least I think that's the other gaming platform it's on?) version, so east is west, west is east... Gerudo Desert is in the east, Kakariko Village in the west, Midna's Right eye is covered, Link is right handed, Wolf Link's Shackle is on the right paw, etc. etc...]_

"I should be back in a few weeks. I may be longer, but I promise I shall return home to tell you if that's the case." The master of the guard nodded and stood back.  
"I'm not sure that's the best idea..." Midna's voice whispered from the shadow beneath me. I paused, and almost in reply, she continued. "If you..." She trailed off for a moment. "Are somehow prevented from returning and need help earlier than that..."  
I lowered my head from the soldiers gathered around me and whispered back to her. "I will not die, Midna, I promise." She said nothing else, and I let several perplexed looking soldiers help me up onto my horse. I took the reins, then gave the captain my thanks and said my farewells. It wasn't very long before I was riding alone towards Lake Hylia. Without looking down, I spoke to my shadow. "Besides, most of the time I'm gone I will be in the Twilight Realm.  
"What?" Midna's form rose from the shadow and floated in front of me, the only thing visible being her crimson eye. "You're coming to the Twilight Realm? Since when?"  
"Was that not the plan?" I asked. "Besides, what else would I do? Wait in the Mirror Chamber?"  
"Yes! Wait, no. I don't know, I really didn't think of that..." She heaved a sigh. "I guess you'll have to. I can't leave you in the Twilight here – I don't know what could happen."  
I looked at my hands. Below my gloves I had the pale skin of a Hylian, not a Twili. "I will stand out horribly." I said, ready to resign myself to waiting for her.  
"Eee Hee! You will indeed! Don't worry, Zelda, that, I have thought of. I will lend you one of my cloaks. Providing you stay hidden in it, no one will know the difference." I could practically see her grinning at me. I wasn't sure if that would work, but if I protested too much she would leave me behind.  
She returned to my shadow and I rode along in silence for a while, until we reached the Great Bridge of Hylia. My horse had begin a steady trot across the bridge before I even noticed that Midna had materialized.  
"Where are you going?" I looked over to see her floating at the end of the bridge, watching me. I pulled my horse to a halt and turned to look at her. "We need to go down to the lake, don't we?" She looked puzzled.  
I shook my head. When you were here before, the Twilight had made the path to Gerudo Desert impassable. It was cleared a few weeks ago." Midna floated to my side. "The path leads east off Hyrule field, north of Faron Woods."  
"Huh. I don't think I ever saw any part of that path then." She shrugged, and I'm pretty sure she was about to disappear into my shadow again.  
"Wait," I called, just as she'd floated to the ground. "We're out of the castle now. Is there really any need for you to hide in my shadow?"  
There was a pause. "I guess you're right." The shadow disappeared and the imp seemed to fall out of nowhere and land on the horse behind me. She yawned and stretched her arms. "That's much better. Now, hurry up! We have somewhere to be!"  
I pulled the horse's reins and gave her a gentle kick, and soon we were galloping away to Gerudo Desert.

Having followed the path most of the day, we had almost reached the Desert when the horse shied and refused to go any further. I was trying to prompt her to carry on when Midna spoke. "We're near the Wall of Twilight." Her voice was almost expressionless. "We'll have to continue of foot." She jumped from the horse's back. I continued to attempt moving my horse onwards, but she shook her head. "Don't bother. Not even Link's horse, Epona, would go close to the Twilight, and I have to say, Epona is much braver than this horse." I didn't doubt that, but I didn't really want to leave my horse.  
With a sigh, I reluctantly dismounted. I removed my cloak and scarf and lay them over the horse's back. Saying my goodbye to the horse, I set off walking the rest of the way. "I hope the Desert is calm today..."  
Midna followed behind me with a sigh. "I can't believe you're wearing that."  
I looked down at myself. I was wearing the dress I normally wore, of which I had several. "Nothing I own is any more appropriate. This dress, at least, I have more of." I'd had my hair done and my jewellery put on as normal this morning. My armoured shoulder plates were probably the only appropriate thing I was wearing.  
Midna shook her head, floating next to me. "Even so, it's not like you're going to want to get it dirty."  
"I'm not going to avoid a situation simply for fear of soiling my dress." I shot back.  
"We'll see about that." Her hair bobbed about her head gently. It was there that we left the argument and continued without talking. The only sound between us was the whistling of the wind and a quiet sound I couldn't quite identify. As if seeing the confusion on my face, Midna floated on ahead and I followed after her, picking up the pace to a brisk walk.  
I didn't have to walk far. I rounded a rather sharp corner and found myself staring at a black wall that reached up further than I could see. It was covered in orange patterns that I did not recognise – the only similarity I could find was that it was the same orange as Midna's hair. The same hair had taken the form of a giant hand and was waving at me from where she floated in front of the wall. "What is this?" I breathed.  
"This is the wall of Twilight." She said. Her hair returning to its original place, she floated closer to me, then next to me, and looked at the wall along side me. "I will have to pull you through. It won't be hugely pleasant. I can't guarantee what is on the other side of this wall. Nor can I guarantee what will happen to you. But even so, we'll have to go through to save Link." She glided back to the wall and began waving her giant hand at me again. "Want me to let you into the Twilight?"  
I walked closer to her and nodded. Giving me a small smile, she turned and pushed her way through the wall of darkness as if it were nothing more than water. There was a pause, and I was tempted to try walking through myself. But just then, the giant hand pierced through the wall, grabbed me and pulled me through into the darkness.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Midna**

_[AN: Okay, so anyone who's played the game knows what I mean when I say that Midna is scared of Arbiter's Grounds. For any that haven't, or don't remember, she freaks out when wolf Link is in quick sand or covered in these invisible rats or the little beetles. Just thought I'd mention this so you don't think I'm making stuff up – I'm basing it on true fact here!]_

Zelda lay on the ground, unconscious. I stood in front of her, waiting. Link had never been out this long upon entering the Twilight, but Zelda had never been here before. I anxiously awaited something horrible, like her turning into a spirit or something. After all, Link had turned into a wolf. What was to say Zelda wouldn't? I felt guilty, but it wasn't like I didn't warn her.  
I sighed and sat on the floor. I could see the Wall of Twilight slowly inching its way further and further down the path, and I wondered how long it would take to reach Zelda's horse. I quickly looked away. Thinking about the spread of the Twilight only made it more of an imperative to hurry, and it took all of my self control not to grab Zelda by the shoulders and shake her awake.  
That was when she took a deep breath and began to push herself up. "Zelda, are you okay?" I stood in front of her and took her arm when she sat up. She raised her hand to her head without a word and kept her eyes closed. "Zelda?"  
After a moment that lasted a lot longer than it should have, she lifted her head and rested her hand on mine. "I'm alright. I now understand what you meant by unpleasant, but you didn't tell me it'd hurt that much."  
I snorted and let myself float into the air, folding my arms and crossing one leg over the other. "How was I supposed to know? I don't experience it like that. All I had to go by was Link's reactions." Zelda was watching me with a slightly exasperated look. "What?"  
She shook her head and pulled herself up. "It's nothing. I'm ready if you are."  
I floated ahead of her, towards the desert. "Come on! The Twilight may be everlasting, but I'm sure Link's life isn't!"

The desert was obviously taking its toll on Zelda, despite the cooler air of the Twilight. It looked like the sand wasn't that much easier to walk on than snow. It wasn't that she seemed tired, but her pace was definitely slower than when we set out. Then I realised we had set out about five hours before, not a rest or any food since.  
"Maybe we should stop for a while." I murmured.  
She stopped walking and turned to look at me, but she looked like she was about to turn and continue walking. "We're almost there."  
"I know, and don't get me wrong, I want to get there quickly, but you wouldn't be as much use to me if you were worn out, now would you?" I floated to the ground. "As you said, we're almost there. So let's sit and eat."  
She looked ready to protest, but common sense won over and she walked back to me. We were just walking down a slope with walls of sand on either side, one of which we leant against. She took her bag off and pulled out from it two rolls of bread, no doubt freshly baked this morning, and two fresh looking apples. Handing one of each to me, she smiled, and then looked at the looming tomb that was the Arbiter's Grounds. "What's it like inside?" She asked.  
I looked up at the six pillars that reached up to the sky, each with a symbol of a sage at the top. "It's... Not the worst we'd come across." I muttered. But I knew I was lying, and Zelda did too.  
"Midna, I would prefer no surprises..." She replied, her dismay at my withholding of information clear in her voice.  
"Look, Arbiter's Grounds is not a place I'd go into again if I had the choice. I hated it." I stood and looked her straight in the face, trying to get my point across. "It's full of animated skeletons, it's dark and it reeks of death. It's full of quick sand, and I was sat there, every moment worried that Link would sink in so far I wouldn't be able to pull him out. Not to mention we were attacked by rats that were invisible and little scarab beetles – not that that'd scare me much – but so many rats and bugs that it was difficult to move!" I drew a deep, shaky breath. "Honestly, it kinda scared me."  
Zelda looked across the remaining stretch of desert at the dark structure. "It was where the worst criminals were condemned to spend the rest of their lives in the Twilight Realm, so it makes sense that evil lingers there."  
"Evil? That doesn't begin to describe it." I sat back down and took a bite out of the bread she had given me. She followed suit and began to eat as well, and we sat in silence for a while. After so long eating Twili food, the still-warm dough of the bread and the sweet and crunchy flesh of the apple came as a surprise. "I'd forgotten how sweet these apples were..." It was quite a nostalgic memory.  
"Don't you have sweet food in the Twilight Realm?" Zelda's question was a bit of a surprise. It hadn't really occurred to me that my world was more interesting to some people than the World of Light was. To me it was dull in comparison.  
"We do, but it's not quite the same. It is sweet, but not in the same way." I shook my head. "I can't explain it."  
She smiled at me. "Maybe I'll just have to try it some time."  
There was a pause. Slowly, I smiled back. "Yeah, I guess you will."  
We finished eating and got everything together quickly, without another word. It was almost as if the sense of urgency had returned to us both. It felt like barely a moment before we were walking between the walls of rock that alerted me to where we were.  
We continued walking out into the open, where I quickly turned to the Princess. "Careful. This is almost like a bulblin camp." As if my words were a premonition, I heard a bulblin shout. Turning, I caught sight of it on top of the tower just ahead of us. It raised its bow, but it wasn't aiming for me. Time seemed to slow down when I realised it was going to shoot Zelda.  
The bulblin drew it's bow, loaded with a flaming arrow and I quickly whipped around. "Zelda, look out!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Midna**

I watched, wishing to do nothing else than cover my eyes. Zelda did take a step back, but it was too late, and although the arrow flew low, it did catch her. Thankfully, it looked like it only pierced her dress. She drew her own bow, and with scary accuracy, skewered the bulbin straight through the heart. We both watched as it fell forward onto its front, pushing the arrow deeper. I looked away with an ill feeling in my stomach.  
"You were saying?" Zelda turned to me.  
I glanced back at the tower where the bulbin had been, thankful that he wasn't there anymore. I didn't look at her. "That's just the beginning... There are loads more inside, and a lot of them have bows." I turned to her, but kept my eyes downcast. "I can't have you being injured on my shoulders as well. You'll be careful, won't you?"  
I heard her chuckle. "I'm sure you were never this insistent with Link."  
"No, to be fair, I wasn't, back when I was mean to him, you know?" I looked up at her with a slight smile. "I worry about him now, and I worry about y- Zelda, you're hurt!" Her dress had been pierced by the arrow, but it looked like her leg had too. The previously white skirt was slightly dirtied by sand, but it was also splattered by blood. Not a huge amount, but enough to make me worry.  
She looked down and grimaced. She quickly put her bow down and her sword along with it and sat on the floor. I floated over to her as she tore her dress free of the arrow and pulled the skirt up to her knee, showing that the arrow had struck through the side of her calve, leaving it in a bloody mess. "Midna, can you help me?"  
I nodded, the ill feeling in my stomach returning. "This isn't exactly in my comfort zone, but..."  
She reached into the bag she'd brought with her and pulled out a cloth and a bottle of water. Soaking the cloth in water, she handed it to me. "All I need you to do right now is clean the blood. I might need you to do something else after that, but for now we just need to assess the damage."  
I took a deep breath and whispered to myself that it wasn't that bad, but I'd forgotten how sickening the sign of blood was to me. I wiped the blood away with a shaking hand, slowly, gently, trying not to jog the arrow. If it had been only half an inch further to the left, it would've only grazed the side of her leg, but unfortunately it gone straight through skin and muscle. "Ugh. Zelda, that's..." Before I could continue I felt bile rise in my throat and had to look away. "Ugh..."  
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her shift and examine the arrow herself, giving a sigh of relief. "That could have been so much worse. Thank you for warning me."  
"You're thanking me?" I managed to look at her for a moment before I had to look away again. "You're still injured."  
"Injured rather than immobilized." I heard her give a gasp of pain followed by a sickeningly pained moan.  
Feeling more than slightly ill and worried beyond belief, I wracked my brain for what to do next, but my mind has gone blank. "I'll help. Just tell me what to do. I'll be careful, I promise, and I'll try to hurt you as little as I can. I'm not completely unfamiliar with injuries and blood and such, but somehow, everything..." I trailed off before I babbled on for too long, but I heard no reply. "Zelda, are you okay?" No response. "Zelda!" I turned to look at her. Her face was almost as white as her dress and I could have sworn she wasn't breathing. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving. I floated over to her and took her by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. "...Zelda?"  
_Shake._ No response. _Shake, shake. _Nothing. _Slap. _Long pause.  
I think my heart had stopped, and I don't think I've ever been more grateful for anything when she let out the breath she'd been holding and opened her eyes. She gave me a small smile and held something up - something long, red, and sharp. The arrow.  
"Y-you got it out? What? How?" I sounded breathless. I _felt _breathless.  
"I... pulled it out..." She muttered. Her breathing was shallow and her voice told me she was in pain.  
"While I was talking and looking the other way, yeah, I get it. What should I do?" The wound was bleeding again.  
She pointed to her bag. "Bandages and water." Her voice was already beginning to return to normal. For that, at least, I was grateful.  
I handed her the bottle of water and began wrapping her leg with the bandage. She kept it perfectly still, not even flinching. _These Light-Dwellers make me feel like a wimp. I would have screamed._ I tied the bandage tightly, knowing that was best to stop the bleeding, and that it would be loosened by walking. "Is that okay?" I asked. She nodded. "You said you weren't immobilized. Does that mean you can walk?"  
Zelda laughed, completely unexpectedly. "Yes, I should be able to walk."  
"What's so funny?" I growled.  
"I've just been shot, and you're still only thinking about saving Link. It's... cute." She said the last word slower and quieter than the rest of the sentence, her tone almost wistful. But I didn't pay that any mind at the time.  
Instead, I turned away, feeling my entire body grow hotter with embarrassment. "W-what can I say? I want to make sure my companion is in a fit state to save my world, and the longer we leave it, the less chance there is of him being okay!"  
Zelda said nothing in reply, only finished drinking the bottle of water and slowly got to her feet. She assured me that she was fine, and we would just need to rest regularly, and we set off once again.

After that one incident, the bulbin camp was a lot easier to get through than I expected. Given, there were a lot less of them than when Link had come through here, but Zelda managed to spot them in the half light easily and took out the archers with her own bow before they even knew what hit them. Her sword skills weren't too shabby either. She wasn't as good as Link had been, but she definitely wasn't the helpless Princess figure I had begun to believe she was. The battle had given her a few cuts here and there where she hadn't managed to dodge in time, as she wasn't quite as nimble as Link, but most were superficial. One was rather deep, and we had stopped only long enough to tie it with a bandage and then moved on.  
We were now stood in front of the looming dark building, both staring down into the darkness, wondering what awaited us inside this tomb.  
"Are you ready to go?" I asked, speaking quietly.  
She quickly checked her bandages and nodded at me. "I am. Are you?"  
I drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. I floated down the steps into the darkness and turned back to look at her. "Let's go; let's get this over and done with." I continued down the steps.  
I could only hear the unfaltering steps of Zelda behind me as she began to follow me down into the prison.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Zelda**

_(A.N.: Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've just gotten back to school and I've been organising things left right and centre. But I'll try my best to update at least once a week from now on. Just a warning, depending on how you interpret my writing, you may see a hint of MidnaxZelda in this chapter, but that's not the way it's intended. Sort of. Just... Interpret it how you'd like to interpret it, 'kay?)_

Midna was right.  
Arbiter's Grounds was a horrible place, and it was, as expected, filled with animated skeletons and quick sand. There were scarab beetles crawling all over the place, and at several points, there was something crawling all over _me,_ which I guessed were the invisible rats she had been talking about. When we first made it down into the torch-lit, sand covered dungeon, she had been floating by my side, but around the third room we went into, the imp's form became insubstantial and retreated to my shadow, and there she had remained for most of the rest of the trip, occasionally pointing out what to do next, or what Link had done at such points in time.  
At first, I had wondered why there was so much sand around. Of course, we were in a desert, but I never expected there to have been so much sand in an underground structure. When I put one foot into the sand and it began to be sucked downwards, I instantly snatched my foot away and took a step back. Midna, silently, floated over to a platform just across a small patch of sand from where I stood. "Run to here!" She said.  
I hesitated, looking around the room. I couldn't see a way to get from the platform she was standing on to the doorway on the other side of the room, and despite trusting her, I couldn't bring myself to follow blindly after her. "Are you sure?"  
"I'm sure. I couldn't forget." Her voice was sombre and she looked down at the sand with an expression of both sadness and disdain.  
Deciding to trust her memory, I followed. Wading through the quick-sand was probably among one of the most curious experiences of my life – if was both panicking but calm, slow but over in a second. Knowing that if I wasn't fast enough I'd be dragged down into a sink-hole that fell down so far all I could see was blackness made my heart beat as if my life had never been in danger before, but at the same time I was simply wading through deep sand.  
Midna led me the rest of the way across the room, stopping only for a moment at the doorway on the other side to mention how curious it was that the door was still open, yet none of the monsters from deeper inside were trying to escape. We headed on, reducing walking skeletons to the piles of bones they should have been with ease, and soon come into what I could only determine as a main room – some kind of central point.  
I remember hearing Midna growl in frustration. "They're gone again!"  
"What's gone?" I had no idea what she was talking about. I watched her float over to the door at the far end of the room, where she stared at what looked like bowls that stood atop four pillars at the sides of the doors steps. "What's the matter?" I asked, following her to the other side of the room. It was then that I noticed that the bowls were filled with oil. "They're supposed to be lit. Do you want me to light them?"  
She shook her head. "No, we find them." She said, Cryptically, looking back at me. "When Link came through here, Poes stole the flames. We have to find them. "  
"I don't think I can take on a ghost," murmured hastily.  
"You won't have to. This is my quest. I'll destroy them." The last words were spoken in a low growl as she made her way to one of the doors in the side of the room. I had no choice but to follow her. When I stood at the door, she retreated back to my shadow as I pulled the heavy stone slab upwards.

We found the Poes rather easily. Although I couldn't see them, they weren't silent, as I thought they would be. All I could see was a floating lantern that was alight with a blue flame, and the lanterns appeared to make a sound similar to a heavy chain being shifted about.  
I had just walked into a circular room filled with the sound of chains, but no chains were to be seen. Sensing my hesitation, Midna emerged from my shadow and rested on hand on my shoulder, looking around behind me.  
We quietly walked into the centre of the room together. The walls of the room held lanterns that gave off a cold light that seemed almost blue, and the noise seemed to echo off every wall and filled my ears.  
I turned round to find myself face to face with a floating, flaming, blue lantern. I stared. Nothing was holding the lantern, and it was floating as if it were being carried. _A ghost!_ I scrambled backwards only to notice that there were anther two either side of me. Turning again, I saw one more behind me.  
"I can see them!" Midna cried. The giant hand shot out from behind the crumbling remains of the fused shadow on her head as she lashed at thin air – presumably the poe she could see. Yet nothing happened. Her hand hesitated and retreated slightly. There was a moment in which the clanking sound of chains got louder, then, for a moment, I saw _something_, a hand held the lantern from the sleeve of a musky white robe, which revealed only the hand and a decaying face. Before either Midna or I had time to react, the spectral being lashed at us with his lantern, and I saw out of the corner of my eye, the others did too.  
I heard Midna's scream, soon accompanied by my own. The lanterns were both spectral and physically real – I felt three burning sensations pass through my skin and presumed the other had hit Midna. It was a searing pain. It both burned and froze at the same time, and I knew it hadpassed through me, but it felt as if it was stuck beneath my skin. I remember falling to my knees, clawing my sides, trying to get the feeling out from under my skin, but it was no use. My gaze was trained to the ground when I heard the sound growing louder once again, and I braced myself for having my body penetrated on a spiritual level once again.  
But it never happened. I heard Midna cry out once again, but in anger rather than fear, and I looked up in time to see the lanterns smashing on the floor, setting free four small, blue flames. The feeling beginning to fade, I looked up and watched as the flames danced around us. It was almost beautiful – they reminded me of the fairies that had graced the spirit's springs of late. After a moment of watching them dance around the floating darkness of the Twilight, Midna and I watched as they darted off and disappeared though the walls.  
A long pause ensued as we both stared at the wall. "Are you okay?" Midna's voice was soft and genuinely worried. I looked up at her from where I still knelt on the floor and nodded. "I'm sorry. That was my fault. I should have remembered that there's nothing to do to harm them until they make their forms physical enough to be felt..." She looked at her feet, sheepishly.  
I stood up and walked over to one of the robes that were lying on the floor in a completely physical state. I lifted one sleeve. "It's okay. I don't think they did any real damage."  
As I turned to look back at her, her hand was suddenly on my cheek as she looked carefully at me. Her eyes flicked back and forth over my face showing only concern. "You still seem pretty shaken, though."  
I lifted my hand to my face and placed it over hers, smiling at her, despite how shaky I felt. "I'll be okay."  
She smiled back at me, slipped her hand out from under mine and floated over to the door. "Shall we go?" She asked. I didn't need to answer her. I simply followed.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Link**

Link looked up at the yellow-black sky of twilight above him and smiled. Midna had been right. The Twilight did have a serene beauty about it – perhaps the feeling of complete suspension in time gave off the calming tranquillity that eased his worries. It was a wonderful feeling, not being worried, after being worried about so many things before; so many things that weren't worth worrying about now.  
He looked up at the huge palace before him. The walls of the Twilight castle that were so ominous before were now inviting – a black that only reminded him of the deepest of shadows that were the most peaceful to curl up and sleep in. Twili hurried past him, speaking in words he didn't understand, but he could guess what they were saying from their tone. And then he noticed quite how many were staring at him and whispering – not suspiciously, but with awe and a slight note of wonder. The only word he understood from their conversation was 'Midna'.  
_Midna. _He turned back to the Palace of Twilight and began his ascent of the steps. He needed to see Midna again. More Twili stopped and stared as he passed them. He didn't care. He thought only of Midna as he continued to make his way to the throne room.  
He had expected the Twili guards to stop him as he got closer, but they bowed to him. He bowed back to each and every one of them, and watched as their expressions changed to smiles. Utterly surprising him, outside the doors to the throne room, once he had bowed to the guards there, they spoke to him – in Hylian.  
"Go forth, Hero Link. We grant you access." One of them said.  
The other turned to him. "The Princess awaits you, Hero. She has waited for you for a long time."  
He quickly said his thanks and hurried through the doors, not mentioning how much the guards had reminded him of the guardians in the Sacred Grove. He pushed the two doors open and walked into the room – not as large as the throne room of Hyrule Castle, but just as beautiful, if not more.  
Upon the dais of the throne, stood in front of the seat itself, was the Princess of the Twili. Midna stared at him, her expression one of shock. "Link?" She whispered. "Is that you?" Her voice was too quiet to have been heard, but somehow, the words were carried through the silence of the room towards Link.  
Only just able to trust his voice, he nodded. "Yes. It is." His words were no louder than hers. He watched as she raised her hand to her chest and touched her fingers to her heart.  
She took two steps off the dais and stood directly across the room from him. "I've waited for so long... How did you..." She looked at him, her eyes full of tears. "I thought my heart was dead, waiting for you, but here, it still beats. It beats for you."  
Link began to walk across the room to her, his steps slow and steady, cushioned by the carpet that pathed his way to the throne and its Princess. He stood a few metres from her, exactly as he had when he had first seen her like this, like the true ruler of the Twilight – her true form.  
They stared at each other for a few moments that felt like an eternity, just as they had then. But unlike that time, when he smiled at her, she threw herself forward, into his arms, falling to her knees, clutching at his tunic and crying for him. He fell to his knees too, wrapping his arms around her.  
After an untraceable amount of time, she sat in his lap, in his arms, as he whispered sweet, reassuring words into her ears. She opened her eyes and stared straight into his. "Thank you for returning to me... My wolf." She whispered, smiling.  
"My Princess." He replied. "I kept my promise." They smiled and quoted the very words they had said that day, before they had been separated.  
"See you later..."  
"I will."  
She smiled at him, her eyes full of gratitude. He felt completely happy, completely fulfilled, as he watched her face hesitantly grow closer to his, and as her lips met his, he knew complete bliss...

The wolf sat up with a jolt, feeling embarrassment burn underneath his fur. Looking around, he realised he was still trapped in the same dank cell as before. He gave his head a shake and lay down once more, his head resting on his paws. _It was only a dream..._ He told himself. _It was only a dream... Only a dream...  
Why did it have to be only a dream?_

_(A.N.: Sorry it's so short. This chapter was a lot of fun to write. If only it was real! I'm sorry it was only a dream, as I know some of you readers will be disappointed. But this may be a hint of what's to come... Stay around for my next update!)_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Zelda**

When we had returned to the central room, the four blue flames emerged from the wall with perfect timing. We followed them up to the steps in front of the door, where each of them settled into their respective bowls. The door gave a shudder, and then opened.  
"I do wonder how that mechanism actually works..." Midna muttered, before her form faded to shadow.  
I continued through the door, which lead me to a more or less round room with a whole in the floor which appeared to be linked to some sort of mechanism. My pace slowed as I got closer, and I leaned down to examine it. "Midna, what is this?"  
She floated out from my shadow, her form becoming physical again, and she floated over the hole. "This? I don't know exactly what it's supposed to be, or what it's called or anything, but it's a mechanism that's activated by the spinner, which was some kind of ancient technology Link found in here. It wasn't particularly useful, but he did have to use it to get to the chamber where Stallord was..."  
"How, then, do you expect me to be able to get there without it?" I asked.  
"Well, in the next room, it triggered another mechanism that made something rise from the sand that..." She trailed off. "No, that needed it too." Looking disheartened, she sat on the edge of the hole. "I don't think there is any way to get up there." She sighed and looked at her feet. "Sorry, I didn't think."  
"We're not giving up now, Midna. I'll find a way." I stood up and walked to the darkness of the room ahead, then looked over my shoulder at her. She was sat there, with her back to me, but she leant round, resting her hand behind her, watching me. "Are you coming?" I asked. She simply nodded and followed me.  
The next room was circular with a pillar in the centre, which had a structure coiled around it heading upwards. The wall and the coiled structure both had a track on them – no doubt for this spinner's cog like properties, I guessed, from examining the mechanism in the previous room. "So, how does this room work?" I asked  
Midna floated over to the coiling structure and sat on it, pointing to the wall. "Link used the spinner to climb the wall," She moved her finger to point to the wall opposite the top of pillar. "And jumped from there. He then activated the mechanism on the top of this pillar," She moved her hand down and patted the structure she was sitting on. "And then travelled the rest of the way up using this."  
I only half listened to her explanation. I gave her a curious look as she finished. "So what you're saying is, that," I pointed the coil of stone she sat on. "Goes all the way up to the top?"  
She shrugged. "Almost. There's a bit of a jump at the end. Why?"  
I smiled at her. "You've just given me an idea."  
She moved out of the way and watched as I waded my way through the sand and pulled myself up onto the stone. I sat there, looking at how it stretched out above me, and she floated beside me, watching. I don't think she realised what I was planning to do until I stood up and pressed myself against the wall of the central pillar and began to shuffle sideways. "Oh no. You cannot be serious. You can't climb all the way up that! You're fine when you have the wall there, but what about when you don't? You'll fall – I know you will!"  
"Shh," I murmured. "I will fall if you keep that up."  
"Fine, I'll be quiet. At least you'll be falling onto sand..."  
She was quietly watching me as I shuffled across the thin stone, clutching the gaps between the bricks of the pillar before me. I did lose my footing several times, and every time she told me to be more careful. I told her I would, but I always slipped again.  
I was nearly at the top of the pillar, where I could rest, when I lost my footing as stone crumbled beneath me and my other foot slipped with it, my fingers lost their purchase on the bricks and I fell. I only just managed to grab the edge of the ledge before I fell to the sand below. Midna floated next to me for a moment, with her eyes still closed and her breath still held. She sighed with relief when she saw me still holding on. I pulled myself up – it was actually a lot more difficult than I'd expected it to be – after shimming along the ledge the last few metres to the top of the pillar, where I could rest my arms.  
Midna floated angrily beside me. "You see why I told you to be careful?" She growled. "There's no way you can get the rest of the way up like this!"  
"I managed to pull myself back up again, didn't I?" I murmured. She didn't seem impressed. "There's no point in going back now. I should at least try."  
After a short break, in which Midna forced me to both eat and drink, I began my climb again. I found the point where it was the highest I could reach from the platform we were on and jumped, pulling myself up again. My arms felt much better for the rest, but never before in my life had they ached as much as they did from the rest of the climb. It was a lot more difficult. I fell off more times than I can count, twice I fell and was only able to grab on with one hand, rather than two. Each time I fell, I shimmied along the ledge for as long as I could, as it seemed to be quicker and more stable than crawling along it. Crawling, though, was a considerable amount less strain on my arms. Eventually, I was at the end of the ledge, where I stood, carefully balanced, and jumped. I managed to land with my arms on the platform in front of me, bruising my arms to no end, and warily pulled myself up and looked at the door in front of me. Ready to collapse and sleep for several days, I remember thinking: _How does Link do this?_  
Midna opened the door and encouraged me to move on. I followed her up the steps to the Mirror Chamber, having to pull myself up where the steps had been destroyed. I made my way slowly after her, not having the energy to move any faster than a walk.  
The Mirror Chamber itself was not that different from when I was here last – save for the darkness of the Twilight that floated from the ground to the sky in wisps of shadow. Midna instantly headed for the mirror's stand, but I thought I'd just say back for a moment, until I heard her gasp.  
"No!" She cried. "Zelda!" She called to me. I couldn't muster a run, but I did manage to hurry over to her.  
"What is it?" I managed to get the question out before I noticed the pile on the floor that she was kneeling before. A green tunic, bronze chainmail, a pouch full of items, the Master Sword, a Hylian Shield... There was no doubt about it. These belonged to Link. The curious thing was that they were all lain out as if they had all been taken off at once.  
"He was... He was turned into a wolf... I would always look after his things when he was a wolf... And _this _wouldn't happen." Her eyes were full of tears.  
"What happened here?" I spoke more to myself than to Midna, yet she still replied, stating the one thing that I had hoped all this time was not true.  
"He was sent to the Twilight Realm, where without the Master Sword he would turn into a wolf!" She yelled.  
"In that case, whoever sent Link to the Twilight Realm is the one responsible for the Twilight that covers Gerudo Desert, else his things would have fallen in the Twilight Realm.  
Midna stood up and stared at the rock that once showed the reflection from the Mirror of Twilight. "We have to save him, Zelda, we must! To the Twilight Realm!"  
Before I had the chance to reply, malicious laughter sounded behind us. "I suppose you're looking for the wolf-boy?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**Midna**

"I suppose you're looking for the wolf-boy?"  
I couldn't have turned round any faster. I know my lips were drawn back into a snarl, but as far as I was concerned, the less welcoming I was, the better. "Oh, how considerate of you to notice." I spat sarcastically. "What have you done with him?"  
He was slightly taller than Zelda – who was actually quite tall – but I couldn't tell how bulky his build was, as he was wearing several thick layers of clothing. His head was covered by a mask no different from Zant's, instantly giving me a bad first impression. That considered, the clothes he was wearing were similar to Zant's too. This was not putting him in my favour. "I have done nothing with the boy, personally."  
Sickened by his tone, I snorted. "You make that sound like you're avoiding answering my question."  
"That, I am not." He was stood at the entrance of the Mirror Chamber, rooted to the spot. _Is he blocking the way out? _"I, personally, did not touch the boy, as boy or as wolf, but I know someone who did..."  
"Where is he?" I shouted, and at the same time, Zelda spoke.  
"Who?"  
There was a pause, and the Zant like figure seemed to be contemplating the questions. "I shall answer you first, Hylian. My master was the one who took him. I'm not going to you give his name, though. And, you, Midna." He paused, letting my surprise at him knowing my name sink in. "He has been locked away in the Tower of Punishment, so he doesn't get in the way."  
I glared at him. "I'll kill you..."  
Zelda, irritatingly rational, spoke up once again. "How did you get him into the Twilight?"  
He chuckled, taking his sweet time before he answered. "The Mirror."  
"I destroyed the Mirror! Stop messing us about!"  
He walked towards us, slowly, laughing. Zelda took a small step back and we both watched him, carefully, wearily. He stopped at the mirror stand, which he rested one hand upon. "Those with divine powers can alter events, Midna, even to the point of creating something new entirely."  
"What kind of a riddle is that?" I asked, but I didn't have the patience for any more questions or answers. Calling upon the power within me that I knew had returned, I focused my mind on the way I had killed Zant. I didn't have the other Fused Shadows, but this fool wasn't even close to as powerful as Zant. I closed my eyes and forced my hand forwards, fast – until I heard a scream. Zelda gasped.  
"Midna..." He choked out, falling to his knees. "You'll... you'll be-"  
I pulled the hand out of his chest, leaving his body to slump to the floor. "Good riddance." I muttered. I turned to Zelda, who had watched everything, her face now pale and her eyes wide. I instantly regretted that I had done such a thing in front of her. "Zelda, I'm sorry. I know there was more he could tell us."  
She drew a deep breath, obviously struggling to keep calm. "No, we know everything we need to know, for now.  
Sudden realisation struck. "You've never seen anyone killed by someone you know before, have you?"  
With a sigh, she looked up at me. "Not anyone I've considered to be on the same side as me, no."  
There was a long pause that seemed to last a long, long time. "I'm sorry." I spoke curtly and looked away. "But this is the way it is. If you don't like it, you should leave. Go back to Hyrule Castle, Zelda, you'll be safe there."  
"I, too, apologise, but I refuse. It's kind of you to offer me the opportunity to retreat, but when I decided to come with you, I knew I would see you, or even find myself, killing another living being. One who isn't a monster, but a being like either of us. I knew what I was getting myself into."  
I looked back at the pallor of her face. My voice weak and quiet, I asked; "Who are you trying to reassure, me, or yourself?"  
Like my comment about her being foolish, this question went unanswered. I turned to the huge stone where the portal once was, Zelda began neatly folding Link's tunic and putting his things into a neat pile.  
"Princess of Light and Princess of Twilight..." Five hauntingly familiar voices echoed around us, and I looked up to see the five sages watching us. I heard Zelda stand behind me.  
"You must save the Hero..."  
"You must go to the Twilight..."  
"The path is harder than the last time you attempted..."  
"You do not possess the strength to open the portal again..."  
"You cannot return without help..."  
In turn, the Sages of Fire, Shadow, Forest, Spirit and Light raised their hands and pointed to the rock where the portal once was. I glanced at the rock, then back at the Sages, but Zelda spoke before I did.  
"If Midna can no longer open the portal, how are we meant to travel to the Twilight Realm?"  
"She cannot, but we can..." The Sage of Shadow turned and pointed to the Zant-like-figure who lay motionless.  
The Sage of Light also turned. "He holds a charm, created by a divine power..."  
"The charm was created by evil to allow passage between the Twilight and the Light..." The Sage of Forest did not turn, but looked at me.  
The Sage of Fire raised his arms to the sky. "It works in a similar way to the Mirror of Twilight..."  
The Sage of Spirit also stared at me. "We shall use it to send you to the Twilight Realm."  
The Sages all looked at Zelda. "Take it. You are chosen by the goddesses, you cannot be corrupted by its evil magic."  
Zelda and I shared a look. Judging by her expression, there were so many questions she wanted to ask, but couldn't. I nodded at her, and the made her way to the body, rifling through layers of clothing. I watched her for a while, then turned back to look at the sages. They were all staring intently at Zelda. "Is this it?" She was stood, holding out a crude pendant. It appeared to be a lump of something wrapped in wire that held it to a chain.  
"It is. Hold it above the stand" She did as instructed. As she came closer, I noticed that it looked like the central piece of the very mirror I thought I broke. It showed little other than the triforce. As she came closer, I also noticed the repulsive aura of evil that emanated from it. It made me feel ill.  
The Sages all raised their hands at the pendant. It acted in the very same way as the Mirror of Twilight, as they had said. The reflection on the rock – the portal – was more similar to the one I had seen. It wavered and was unfocused, but it put me slightly more at ease when I realised that it wasn't anywhere as shaky as the portal I had created was.  
"Go, and take the charm with you..."  
"It will show you the way back..."  
"Be careful, and evil awaits you there..."  
"You must save the Hero..."  
"Good luck..."  
With those words said, the Sages faded away. I looked at Zelda.  
With a grin, I waved her towards the portal, gesturing that she should go first. "Want me to let you into the Twilight?"


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Zelda**

(A.N.: Before I begin, **I'd like to give a HUGE, HUGE thanks to DarkRox22 for adding me as a favourite author**, a big thanks to Blake-Hero of Tyme, ChaosGamer19, Twilight3110, ChairmanMeow192, AnimeCat92, AnimeKing0405, DarkRox22 (again), Ruler of Shadows and Shadowjr420 for favouriting this story, and lots and lots of inexpressible gratitude to Blake-Hero of Tyme (again), Kwestro, Tigrette-of-Fire, DarkRox22 (again), robinkwessie and WhyYouNoReal for reviewing my work and ultimately keeping me writing. Also a big thanks to everyone who added this story to their story alerts. You guys are the reason I write this! I heart you!)

"_Want me to let you into the Twilight?" Midna grinned.  
I nodded and smiled back. "Let's go. We have a hero to save." I walked past her, almost touching the portal.  
"Zelda, wait."  
I looked over my shoulder, one hand still reached out to the Twilight portal.  
"You don't know what the Twilight Realm is like... I don't want to surprise you too much. I have a feeling it isn't even how I left it." Her face was serious.  
I shook my head. "Don't bother explaining it, Midna. However you describe it, I will probably imagine it different to how I end up seeing it. There isn't a point in trying. We don't know how much time we have left."  
She sighed. "Zelda, don't take this as if I'm trying to chase you away, but... If you want to go back to your Hyrule Castle, go now. Once we go through that portal, there's no telling how long it will be before you return, or even if you'll return at all."  
"No, Midna. My mind is made up. I am coming with you, no matter what."  
She let out a long breath. "I thought you'd say that, but I can't work out if that makes me happy or worried." She gave herself a quick shake. "One more thing. This portal isn't brilliantly stable. This won't be a smooth ride..."_

With a moan, I lifted my head only an inch from the ground, but I couldn't muster the energy to open my eyes. I was laying front to the ground on a surface that wasn't smooth, but wasn't rough. It gave off an odd feeling of both heat and cold. I heard another moan, not mine this time, and not far off.  
"Link..."  
I wanted to say something in reply, or at least open my eyes, but I couldn't do anything as my other senses spiralled into darkness just before I felt my face hit the floor.  
I knew I wouldn't remember any of this when I woke up.

_I knew I wasn't awake, but I was too aware to be asleep. Everything was too divine to be a dream. I heard the sound of running water, such a crisp, crystal clear sound. I drew a deep breath, and it was like I could smell everything – my senses were sharpened to the smell of fresh water, the blood that was still on my clothes, the freshness of the air around me... I felt shallow waters lapping at my ankles, but it didn't seem to be wetting my skin at all, and I opened my eyes to find myself in a deep blue pool of water that reflected the colour of stars. The rocks that lined the pool were a solid black colour, yet the place seemed so... light.  
"Oh, blessed one..." A voice spoke behind me. I turned round to see a figure made of shadows, darkness and blackness, yet so pure it was perfect. "I am a spirit of Twilight..." I nearly choked. "You seem surprised. Did you believe the Goddesses would create a world without spirits to look after it?"  
"I... I suppose I didn't really think much about what would be in the Twilight Realm."  
The spirit chuckled. "What you mean is, you did not think the Twilight Realm was a world at all."  
"No, I-"I hesitated. "I suppose I did not. I am sorry."  
"You are wise beyond your years, Princess of the Light. Blessed one... You must save the Hero. Without the Hero, Darkness will prevail."  
"I don't know where Link is, much less how to save him."  
"It is a matter of one simple Light arrow, Zelda, for now. It will not rid you of the threat, but it will free the blue-eyed beast."  
"If it does not rid me of the threat, what will?"  
The spirit chuckled once again. "Nayaru guides you well... The other spirits of the Twilight are in dire need of your help. Once they are all safe, we can give you a gift... A gift that can save the Twilight. But only the Hero can save them."  
I nodded. "I understand. Thank you." I watched at the spirit faded, not even remembering what shape it was, or even if I recognised it as having a shape.  
As my senses began to fade, I closed my eyes and allowed the world to flow to black, along with my memory._

"Zelda, please, hurry up!"  
I lifted my heavy eyelids to see Midna, who was hissing commands into my ear.  
"Come on... Wake up!" Wake up from what? I couldn't remember. I guessed that I was knocked out after travelling through the portal, as I couldn't remember anything that had happened after that.  
"I'm awake..." I muttered. She helped me sit up, and I looked around at my new surroundings. Black, with blue marks, like Midna herself. Bleak, but bright. _Bright?  
_"Can we please get a move on, Zelda? The light is uncomfortable."  
I stood up, and she shielded her eyes. "You mean it's not normally like this?"  
"No. It's far too bright." She grumbled something about it getting dark, too, but I wasn't listening. I'd noticed something odd.  
"Midna, you're still an imp." I said, simply.  
She looked at her small palms. "I know." Her voice was mournful. "For some reason, I won't change back." I was about to say something about how strange that was, or ask what could be causing it, but she spoke before me. "Come _on. _Let's hurry while it's still light. The Twili won't be outside while it's this bright, so we have less chance of being spotted. As for when it darkens... Well, we haven't got much of a choice. It's not far to the Tower of Punishment." She began leading me past the huge building that, from what Link had told me a long while ago, was the Palace of Twilight.  
It wasn't long before she paused with a groan. The brightness was certainly taking its toll on her. "Ugh... Zelda, would you mind if I stayed in your shadow?"  
"I don't mind, but I don't know the way to the Tower." I replied.  
Her form was already turning to shadow when she replied. "The Twilight was created like Hyrule. Think of where we arrived as the field just south of Castle Town, and think of this Twilight Plain as the field east of Castle town. We're heading north, to the field south of the Zora's Domain."  
It was a confusing concept, but I was sure she'd tell me if I was off track. "Alright, I think I've got it."  
The imp's form became one with my shadow and I began walking alone in the antithesis of Hyrule Field.

_(A.N.: Sorry if this chapter's not that good, it's late and I should be in bed... yet I'm writing.)_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Link**

_(A.N.: Again, big thanks to DarkRox22 for adding me as a favourite author. Big thanks to Dire Heart and OCDLuv for adding this as a favourite story since the last chapter. And as usual, lots of gratitude to everyone who has reviewed! Thanks so much, I heart you guys!)_

He had slept and slept, and he just wasn't tired any more. Hunger clawed at his belly, but he just wanted to sleep again, as in dreams he was with who he wanted to be, he was where he wanted to be, and he was _what _he wanted to be. He opened his eyes wide enough to see that no more food had been passed through the bars of his cell, gave a disdainful snort, shut his eyes and wished for sleep. He curled up tighter on himself, so tight he could feel his protruding ribs.  
The pains of hunger had stopped long ago. Not stopped, exactly, but had become a familiar ache that left him feeling weak. He had barely moved from that one spot, nor had he any reason to. He'd given up trying to find a way to escape so long ago he couldn't count the days even if he tried – not that the lack of window or any means to tell the time helped at all.  
The wolf had just about begin to drift into a weak unconsciousness when the sound of the heavy door being pushed open made him prick his ears with more energy than he even thought he had left. Solid sounding footsteps echoed throughout the room as the un-named figure returned.  
He and the wolf regarded each other for a long time. Eventually he spoke. "I have yet to see the hero in you, beast. I don't understand why our former princess thought you could save the World of Twilight."  
He watched the wolf's expression change to shock. "Yes, I said former. You didn't think I'd give up, did you?"  
His expression changed from shock to confusion. Link couldn't think straight through the fog of hunger that clouded his mind. A chuckle emanated from under the mask. "Yes, _hero, _I am-"  
He broke off when the sound of furious yelling and fighting came from outside. "What's with all that noise?" With a growl like sound, he turned and stormed out of the cell room, but he still left that distinctive click of the turning lock in his wake.  
Link stared at the door for a while, eventually heaving himself to his feet to ravenously chew his way through the rather generous portion of meat he didn't realise the Zant-like figure had left for him.  
As he began to eat, he didn't pay any mind to anything, not even the heart-achingly familiar voice that was raised above the sound of the fighting.

Link had managed to fall asleep on a full belly for the first time in what felt like years. The sound of the fighting from outside had died down not too soon after it had started, but he found it strange the un-named figure hadn't returned to continue gloating. He was thankful to whatever caused that distraction – saving him from having to listen to his self-loving rants again. But he did get the feeling that he was about to say something hugely important before he was interrupted...  
Having much more energy after having a decent amount of food, Link had spent a while sniffing around the cell again. Although he knew it was pointless, it at least gave him purpose. Chew the bars here, paw at the wall there, and sniff at a small hole there. He had his muzzle between the bars sniffing at the ground on the other side of the bars when he heard the commotion outside.  
There was more sound of fighting that was over almost as soon as it began. Then there was silence for a moment. Then someone spoke.  
"I guess this is the door we're looking for." The first voice somewhat familiar, but his human memories seemed a little hazy now, he had been a wolf for so long. He couldn't quite place who it was.  
There was a pause before the next voice spoke. "Come on, hurry up! We don't have all day!" The second voice was easy to place. He'd heard it so many times, even when the speaker wasn't there. It was the person he'd looked for in the shadows, in his mind and in his dreams.  
In a second the door was thrown open and the body of the speaker rushed straight in, and, seeing him, dissolved through the bars and threw her arms around his neck. "Link! We've been so worried – we've been looking all over for you! I'm so glad you're okay!"  
He gently nuzzled the imp's shoulder and drew in a deep breath that filed his nose with Midna's scent. They stood like that for a while. He couldn't quite tell, but judging by what he could hear and what he could feel, she was crying. Midna. _Crying._  
When she stood back and looked at him, her eyes showed that deep down, she meant it, she _was_ glad he was okay. He, on the other hand, was glad he was a wolf, as he had no words to describe how thoroughly relieved e was to see her.  
Midna turned to the person who was stood the other side of the bars, who had come in with her. "We did it." She let out a long breath. "I can't believe we actually did it, Zelda." _Zelda!_ Why was the Princess here?  
"Don't get too excited, Midna, we still have to get Link to safety." She looked around cautiously, as if she were expecting something.  
Midna turned back to the wolf and looked him over. "He looks like he hasn't eaten in weeks..." Standing next to him, she patted his neck. "Right, let's get out of here. Where's the key?" She looked at Zelda. Zelda looked around, but she didn't see the key. Link looked up himself, but the key wasn't on its usual hook.  
"Would you, perhaps, be looking for this key?" And that was when Link remembered that this was a trap, and Midna had fallen for the bait. Him.

_(A.N.: Sorry all the Link chapters are a bit short, but there isn't much to say, and very little in the way of dialogue. They'll get longer as the story progresses.)_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**Zelda**

_(A.N: Sorry, this is another short chapter. The next one will be longer, I promise! I know I seem to have a thing with short chapters, but I guess it's just the dramatic bits. When I get to the romance (sorta) parts, chapters will be longer by default, really. Oh, and thanks to Blake-Hero of Tyme for your amusing review od the last chapter. I didn't really get it...)_

I had a feeling this would be a trap. It was just that little bit too easy to get here, after all. Also, the trip through the Arbiter's grounds had ended in a similar way.  
The mysterious figure walked slowly into the room, swinging the key around his finger. I was instantly on the defensive, as he was wearing the same clothes and mask that the king of shadows had worn when he invaded my castle and asked me to surrender. Midna stood next to Link, one arm up over his shoulder. "What, do you guys worship Zant or something?" She sneered.  
In reply, the king-of-shadows-look-alike simply laughed. "In a way." I unwillingly relaxed as my mind processed his voice – not the king of shadows who had infiltrated Hyrule Castle. Also, I was curious, and he seemed to want to talk rather than fight.  
"Why?" Midna raised her voice slightly. "He was an usurper king! He did nothing but cause my people pain, and he deserved his death!" She stopped abruptly, drawing a sharp breath to calm herself, then bearing her teeth at him.  
"What's to say he would have not done something great?" his voice rose in excitement. "He is doing great things for the Twilight Realm!"  
_Is? _There was a pause. "He '_is doing'_ great things?" I asked, glancing at Midna. I was sure she said he was dead. I turned back to the Zant impersonator. "What do you mean?"  
"I highly doubt those 'things' he _is _doing are so great!" Midna spat.  
He began to laugh hysteriacally, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Midna watching him with a wide eyed look, as if the laughter had reminded her of something. She grit her teeth and clutched at the wolf's fur. He turned to me once he had finished laughing. "What do I mean? I mean that the Twili will no longer live in the shadow of the World of Light. From now on, the Light Dwellers will live in the shadow of the Twilight Realm!" He laughed again as he turned to Midna. "Ah, my former princess... What death did you think he deserved?" There was a hint of mocking in his tone.  
Her voice was dark when she replied. "He was pierced through the chest and his heart was crushed, yet I don't think even that does his actions justice."  
There was a long pause before he spoke again, tension in the room becoming practically tangible. He spoke slowly – his mocking punch line, almost. "You killed him. You, as a Princess of the Twili, have his blood on your hands, do you not?"  
Midna's reply was full of passion. "I did what was best for my people!" No matter the amount of passion that was in her voice, the confirmation of what the figure had said stirred doubt within me. _She killed Zant. _I thought. _She killed Zant the same way she killed the Twili we took the charm from. _I had to swallow back a slight feeling of deception when the realisation crossed my mind. _She has killed some of her own people._  
"Oh, Midna, this is why I say _former_ Princess." I watched Midna sway slightly and hold tighter yet onto Link's fur to keep herself steady. She spoke through gritted teeth. "You're lying."  
"You deserted your people." He shot back.  
"I had to do what I could to help my people!" She cried, sounding more than a little desperate.  
He chuckled. "Your people? No, you're mistaken. My people, Midna, my people." He raised his arms and gleefully continued. "For so long the Twili have been mislead. But for no longer! I am their new king, Kness, and with the help of Zant, I shall return the Twili to glory!  
I wasn't sure what to believe. Who was lying? Midna had, after all, killed more than one of her own people. How did I know that maybe she had been lying to us all this time, and Zant was better than she had led us to believe? I felt a burning sensation in my hand, and I covered the glowing triforce. _Nayru is trying to tell me something._ I paused for a moment's thought. _I don't think I would have been able to trust Midna all this time if she was truly a bad person.  
_Something flashed through my mind. I wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed that I remembered it from somewhere. _It is a matter of one simple Light arrow... _I reached back to my quiver, feeling a few Light Arrows that I didn't remember I had.  
Kness took a few steps towards the bars of the cell. "Now, Midna, you are considered a criminal. You may have the magic of the royal blood in you, but I believ I have the power to deny you..." He lifted one hand, in which he held the three remaining fused shadows.  
Midna looked up at him and gasped. "You... you are as fake as Zant!" And invisible power lifted her and slammed her against the bars of the cell. She let out a small cry, but soon silenced herself.  
"There is only one fake here, Midna, and it isn't me." I stood and stared like a fool, unable to decide who to believe. Link was growling at Kness, glancing at me occasionally, his eyes urging me to do something.  
_It is a matter of one simple Light arrow...  
_I heard both Kness' laugh and Midna's grunts and she tried to free herself.  
_It is a matter of one simple Light arrow, Zelda...  
_I took one of the Light Arrows from my quiver, also taking the bow from my back. I looked at Kness. Then I looked at Midna. I drew my bow and shot, closing my eyes as soon as I loosed the arrow, waiting for the cry...  
_It is a matter of one simple Light arrow, Zelda, for now. It will not rid you of the threat, but it will free the blue-eyed beast._


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**Midna**

_(A.N.: __**Huge, huge thanks to MsNegative24 and epicninjas for adding me as a favourite author! **__Big thanks to MsNegative24 and lippincott1 for adding The Return to their favourite stories. And a helluva lotta thanks to Blake-Hero of Tyme, Dire Heart, and epicninjas for reviewing! I heart you guys! Sorry this chapter isn't particularly long.)_

Something pierced my arm. Its point buried itself into my flesh, sending a searing stab up my arm. I heard myself cry out, but I did not feel myself cry. But I heard another voice, crying in unison with mine.  
I had been hit. I did have something sharp drawing blood from my arm. But it seems the weapon had reached Kness first.  
He had been leaning with his arm through the bars, holding me there. His arm would have been right in front of mine from where Zelda was standing. Zelda had shot him.  
I felt the broad-headed point dig into my skin from the inside and Kness' arm was jogged in his initial shock – I would have shuddered and very likely thrown up, if I'd had half the chance. But my actions were rendered moot as Kness staggered away from the bars, tearing the point of the arrow from my arm. He slammed back against the wall, clutching his arm, and I collapsed on one side. Link was instantly next to me, sniffing at me and nuzzling me, prompting me to stay conscious. I was too focused on trying to feel something other than the white hot burning pain that prevented me from even lifting my hand to my arm.  
I tried to focus on anything else, and the confrontation between Kness and Zelda was a good distraction. "What have you done?" He hissed with a grunt, obviously trying to stay steady on his feet and struggling.  
Zelda's voice was calm and unfazed. "I have done what was asked of me."  
"Asked of you by whom?" He spat. "You have just attempted to save the false princess and harmed the king! I could have you killed! I will not forgive you!" Kness' voice seemed to ri0se with either excitement or madness.  
"I do not ask for your forgiveness." Zelda's voice had a certain hardness, if not spite to it that I had never heard before. "I trust in the Goddesses to guide me along the correct path, and that path does not lead me to you."  
"You're wrong!" He hissed.  
"If I am wrong, I leave it in the hands of the Goddesses to punish me, not a false king who tries to use lies of the Princess's false royalty as foundations for his reign."  
He began to laugh, just as Zant would have. He was becoming more and more like him by the moment. "You are a fool, Light-Dweller, you have fallen for her tricks."  
"Preach to me all you wish, without solid evidence, I will not believe you." Zelda replied, her voice as steady and as calm as ever.  
"Very well. Make an enemy of me, then. This decision will return to haunt you..." I heard the familiar sound of dematerialisation as he warped himself away, leaving a moment of silence in his wake.  
"Midna, are you alright?" Zelda's footsteps came towards me. Link looked up at her.  
"The key..." I muttered under heaving breaths. "You didn't get... The key..."  
"It's right next to you. He dropped it." Link turned round, then looked back at me, the key hanging from his jaws.  
I nodded. "Good." The wolf turned to Zelda, pushing his muzzle between the bars. She must have taken the key, because there was a loud click that echoed throughout the room, followed by the creak of the opening cage door. Zelda was then beside me, with a feather light touch on my arm.  
"Are you in pain?" I nodded. "How bad is it?"  
"It's getting better..." I murmured. "It burned to have hat arrow torn from my arm..."  
Getting a cloth from her bag and covering it in water, the thoughtfully replied; "Yes... Those arrows aren't really designed to come out painlessly." I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and held my breath as she washed away the blood. It was a moment that seemed to last forever, and I tried not to cry out as she pressed the sore, sensitive wound.  
I opened my eyes slightly as I heard her rummaging through her bag again. The brow was slightly furrowed, betraying a hint of worry. I was about to ask her what was wrong when she put the bag down and lifted the hem of her skirt. I watched as in one fluid movement, she tore a long strip of fabric from the bottom of her dress. I gasped. "Zelda, what are you doing?"  
"You insisted I keep the bandage on my leg fresh, and I had to keep changing it because I kept re-opening the wound and the bandages became covered in blood. We have no bandages left." She continued as if this meant nothing.  
"But... Your dress..." I looked at the torn edge.  
She shook her head and smiled slightly. "Do you remember what I said? I knew my dress would not return home perfectly intact. It is inconsequential to me what happens to it, and I would much rather use it to help you than keep it as tidy as possible and let you bleed." She wiped at the blood once more, helped me sit up, and then began to wrap the fabric around my arm.  
I watched silently until she knotted the makeshift bandage to hold it in place. I put my hand over the bandage. "Thank you, Zelda, for doing that."  
"It's the least I could do, after you tended to my wound." She began to pack her things back into her bag.  
"No, I mean, shooting him - getting rid of him for me." I said, looking at the floor. Was I really so incompetent that I had to have the pampered youth princess of the Light World rid my realm of all the threats? I knew it was unfair of me to think that, but...  
"You never asked me to."  
"But you said-"  
She held up her hand to stop me. "You never asked me to. The spirit did."  
"The... Spirit?" I paused. "You mean like the Light spirits?"  
She nodded. "Exactly like them. But I don't think now is the time to talk about it. We should head back to the Mirror Chamber, so Link can retrieve his things, and from there we'll work out what to do next. Are you ready to go?"  
I looked at Link. Link looked back at me. That was all the confirmation I needed. I stood, feeling a lot better than before Zelda tended to my arm, and I leapt into the air, neatly landing on Link's back. He gave a surprised snort and turned to look at me with a half-hearted growl. He turned and followed Zelda out of the cell and down the entrance of the tower. I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face into his fur and breathing in the scent of him... The scent of my wolf. "I'm so glad we found you." I murmured into his fur. His ear twitched in reply.  
"Link, I... I promise I won't leave you like that again."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**Link**

_(A.N.: __**Big, big thanks to The Frozen Nightingale **__(I know who you are :P)__** and Kwestro for adding me as a favourite author. **__Also a thank you to tatiana323 and The Unknown Twinkie for adding The Return as a favourite story!)_

The feeling was utterly, utterly surreal.  
He followed Zelda eagerly down the steps, his mind whirling over the events of the past... _how long? _He didn't even know. He felt like he'd done it all, yet done so little – been knocked out, trapped, starved, taunted... yet he'd lay around doing nothing almost all of the time. Link thought of his rescue. It had all happened so fast – Kness had confronted Zelda and Midna, grabbed Midna, who Zelda then accidentally shot in the process of shooting Kness. And now he was following Zelda on clumsy legs to his freedom.  
"What is wrong with you today? You're walking like your legs have been tied together!" Midna complained. Of course he couldn't forget Midna, who was sat comfortably on his back. Without her there, he'd felt metaphorically naked. And not in a good way.  
Looking over her shoulder at us, it was Zelda who replied. "He's very probably been trapped in that cell for a few weeks, Midna. It's hardly the best place to get any exercise."  
"Hm... It doesn't look like he's even eaten properly. He has practically no energy. But not to worry. I'll soon have him whipped into shape!" Link gave a startled growl and started in surprise as Midna kicked him in the side, his unsteady legs buckling and leaving the two of them in a heap on the floor. She hadn't even kicked him hard. "Ugh... What are you doing?" He heard her tutting as he pushed himself up with trembling legs.  
Zelda had stopped and waited for him to get up. "Midna, now is not the time for that sort of messing around. The sooner we get out of the twilight, the sooner Link can rest in safety."  
She lay forward, resting her chin on her arms on his head. "He won't make it, Zelda. Not to be rude or anything..." She patted his side with one hand, ever so gently. "But that means walking is out of the question. Have any ideas?"  
Link detected the slight sarcasm in her voice that rendered her question rhetorical, but obviously Zelda didn't. "I don't, no. How many times would we have to stop? Do you think you could find somewhere relatively safe for us to rest?"  
"Eee hee! When we get outside I'll take the lead." Link could practically see the slightly narrowed eyes and sly smiling face Midna was wearing. What was she up to now?  
The rest of the journey was done without speaking. There was an occasional yawn from Midna as Zelda lead the way, sometimes peering cautiously round corners and doorways, but there didn't seem to be anyone in sight. The place seemed to be dead. They were the only beings making any noise, which Link found rather unnerving.  
It seemed like a long time of deathly silence before they were outside again. Zelda had told them the coast was clear, and Link had dragged himself the last few metres outside. _Why am I so tired?_  
The Hylian princess looked at the imp. "Where now?"  
Midna giggled. "You should be asking _how, _not _where._ You know where we're going." Link could picture the teasingly devious look on the imp's face without needing to look at her  
Zelda had enough time to open her mouth in an attempt to voice her confusion, but not enough to speak it, before her form began to dissolve into flecks of shadow and darkness, starting at her head and down to her feet, which floated up into the sky, to a portal that the wolf hadn't even realised was there. Link turned to give Midna an exasperated look, but at that moment she jumped from his back, and floating above him, smiling, she clicked her fingers. He had enough time to begin turning round before his body evaporated into the twilight.

When his body was pieced together by the flecks of shadow again and his body was freed from its temporary paralysis, he quickly shook himself, trying to get rid of the feeling of disintegration. He paused. _This is when Midna lands on me. _He thought. Closing his eyes, bracing himself and locking his legs to stop himself from collapsing, he waited. And waited.  
After a few seconds, he opened his eyes again, coming face to face with Midna. "Eee hee hee!"  
Link jumped back in surprise, and she floated to the ground, with a grin on her face.  
"Aww, I have you trained so well, don't I? What a good little wolf!" It would have been insulting, had she not walked over and patted his shoulder. He felt himself relax, content.  
"I had forgotten what an odd experience warping was." Zelda said, thoughtfully.  
_You'll get used to it, eventually. _Link thought.  
Midna floated up into the air, a few metres in front of them and waved her hand at the empty air behind her. "But it's so much quicker and more convenient, don't you think?" A familiar voice answered her, but not the voice any of them were expecting.  
"Indeed it is." Midna whipped around in an instant, facing Kness.  
Link growled and ducked into a crouch, ready to leap at him if he attacked Midna, but he didn't. He and Midna stood and stared at one another. "More convenient for us than for you, I would've thought! Midna spat.  
He chuckled. "No, in this instance, it is more useful for me."  
Midna bared her teeth and threw her arms wide. "Go on then, attack us!"  
Kness laughed. "You think my intention is to engage in pointless combat? No, I have bigger aspirations. I plan to stop you from killing Zant!" And with that, he turned and ran.  
"Wait!" Midna flew after him. "Zant is already-"  
"Midna, he's running to the portal!" Zelda ran after her, and with a huff, Link followed after her.  
Link didn't think she had listened. She was about to catch up to him as he stood waiting at the empty platform, but just as she almost had him, the portal materialized and he leapt through. Midna stopped exactly where he had been standing. "Damn it!" She turned to Link and Zelda. "Hurry up!" She paused. When they were only a few paces behind her, she flew into the portal herself. Link watched Zelda pause for barely a second before following her. With no other choice, Link jumped through after them, too.

Link was pretty sure he lost consciousness somewhere along the line, but he wasn't sure. All he could remember was being jolted awake as he landed sideways with a thud back in the Mirror Chamber. He stood and gave himself a shake. Zelda was next to him, picking herself up off the ground also. Midna, on the other hand, was stood at the edge of the Chamber, staring out across the desert.  
"We lost him!" She growled, after a moment of looking, becoming more and more irritated.  
"I don't think chasing him was the best idea," Zelda murmured as she brushed herself off.  
"I followed him in the hope this wouldn't happen!" Midna cried, still staring out over the desert. Link walked up behind her and nuzzled her shoulder. She glanced at him in surprise, then looked back at the empty, endless slopes and dunes of sand, one hand gently stroking his neck.  
Zelda followed Link over to where Midna stood. "There's nothing we can do about that now."  
Midna sighed. "I know."  
Zelda looked up at the sky. "I can't tell what time it is, but we're all tired. We should really find somewhere to sleep." Only then did Link notice that Zelda was carrying a bundle of things – a sword, shield, tunic, chainmail, pouches, belt, bandolier, boots ... _His_ things.  
Link was staring at the pile when they vanished into thin air. He looked round in surprise. "I'll look after those." She had one hand on the wall and the other on her hip. "So, Zelda, where do you suggest we go?"  
"I don't suggest we stop here. With the portal there, we don't know what could happen. Let's go a little further into the desert." She looked down, over the edge of the structure that was Arbiter's Grounds.  
"What about the bulbins?" Midna asked, looking at Link, who was at the point of lowering his head and panting, tail between his legs.  
Zelda looked at Link for a long moment. "I guess that's up to me." The princess put one hand on the hilt of her sword.  
Midna nodded. Zelda walked on ahead. Before walking after her with Midna, Link looked over his shoulder and watched with curiosity as the portal dissolved. Giving his head a gentle shake, he walked on, Midna at his side, one hand on his back. An imp and a wolf, as close as they would ever get to holding hands, for now.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**Zelda **

_(A.N.: Seriously! You guys seem to love this story! I'm glad you do. As usual, my shoutouts – thanks to Multicoloredtimeline and epicninjas for adding this as a favourite story. Many gratitude crystals (yes, I just said that.) to Dire Heart, Blake-Hero of Tyme, MsNegative24, epicninjas and an anonymous guest for your reviews on the last chapter. A special thanks with sprinkles on top to MsNegative24, who wrote about me in her profile! I'm so flattered! And again, a big, big thanks to DarkRox22, MsNegative24, epicninjas, The Frozen Nightingale and Kwestro who all added me as a favourite author. I'd also like to let it be known that I am grateful for all of you who put me on author alert or added The Return to your story alerts, and I would put it down to names, but there are so many of you already! .)_

I watched as one of the servants took my horse and Link's horse away to the stables. The captain of the guard had come to fetch my weapons to put away in the armoury only a moment ago. After watching the horses disappear round the walls of the stables, I sighed and looked at the castle, wondering what the servants would think of the state of the dress I had hidden beneath my cloak. I looked over her shoulder at Link, a human once more, now talking to one of the stable hands about his mare, Epona. I couldn't help smiling. Midna and I had eaten almost nothing since we found him, letting him eat all the food that was left so he didn't look too starved when they returned to Hyrule Castle. He looked much better now, but he still hadn't returned to his full strength, and yet he was still more worried about everyone but himself.  
I watched as the stable hand said his last few words and began to walk away. Link nodded and watched him go, then made his way over to me. I looked around. "That's everything. Let's go inside. I'll make sure the cooks have a meal ready for the evening. In the mean time, I'll gave someone find you a room. You can rest and clean yourself up a little."  
He nodded and gave me a smile. "Thanks."  
The shadow of Midna floated up between us. "I thought you said we were going to work out where Kness had gone."  
"We will, over dinner. But Link needs rest, too, so I think it would be best that we stay here for the night." I replied, not looking at Midna, in case it seemed to onlookers that I was talking to nothing.  
The shadow shrugged, almost nonchalantly. "I wouldn't count on him waiting for us." I was about to say something in return when she shrank down into the darkness beneath our feet. I looked at Link. He looked back at me with an apologetic smile.  
I lightly shrugged my shoulder, and then took a step towards the castle, gesturing for Link to follow me. I walked up the steps to the castle with him only a few steps beside me. I spared a thought for how I would have felt if he had been at my defence rather than the castle guards when Zant attacked – safe - safer than I felt with my guards around me. I looked at my feet, guilty. _I should be glad I have them to protect me._ I gave my head a gentle shake and continued to walk up the steps.  
Several servants bowed to us as we passed them in the courtyard, and it amused me to see as I looked over my shoulder that Link was trying to nod in return to all of them, whilst at the same time trying to look at Hyrule Castle, restored to its former glory. I called a servant over and had them prepare a room for Link, and made sure the rest of my ascent of the stairs was slow enough to give Link plenty of time to look around.  
The servant returned when we were in the foyer. "The room is ready, Princess." He said, bowing his head at the two of us. He then looked at Link. "Shall I show the master where his room is?"  
I nodded. "Thank you." I turned to the green-clad boy. "I'll send a servant for you once dinner is ready, they'll show you to the dining hall. That should be in an hour or two. Then, we can talk."  
He nodded and said his thanks, but the look we shared said so much more. It conveyed our mutual worry about the expanding twilight, the Twilight Realm and its princess. I guessed that he thought the same as I did – the time we spent here at the castle was a guilty pleasure, as the longer we stayed, the worse our problems would be when we returned to them. The feeling made it more of an imperative to leave.  
After we parted ways, I headed straight for my rooms, sending another servant to tell the cooks to begin cooking dinner. I was thankful that no one had questioned my cloak, and no one had seen the sorry state of the dress beneath. But that didn't mean I would dispose of it any time soon. In fact, I was quite proud of it – it reminded me of what I had done to save my people. But I wasn't finished yet.

"Wait, can you explain that to me again?" Link looked across the table at me, looking very confused.  
I sat there for a moment, staring off into space, trying to think of how to re-phrase it to make it easier to understand. "When Midna and I passed through the portal into the Twilight Realm, I'm certain I fell unconscious. But I think I had some kind of vision. I met a spirit. Just like the spirits of Light, but this was a spirit of Twilight. He told me how to free the blue eyed beast," I paused and nodded at Link. "Which was you, and he told me that all of the other spirits were in trouble, and needed to be saved by the hero."  
"I never would have believed..." Midna murmured to herself. When she realised I was looking at her, she spoke up. "You remember I told you the Twilight Realm was created to be like Hyrule?" I nodded. "There was a legend passed down by my people that the Goddesses hadn't abandoned us, and so we had Twilight Spirits to be like your Light Spirits. But to be fair, no one had really seen them for generations, so I didn't believe that it was any more than a myth..." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "It really drove the older Twili to the brink of insanity, believing that maybe the Goddesses really had abandoned us. And the younger Twili simply believed it was a tale made up by the first of our ancestors in a bid of homesickness. No one really knew what to believe."  
"Interesting..." I said aloud to myself.  
"So, do you think we should go back to the Twilight Realm?" Link asked.  
Midna shook her head. "Kness is here in the World of Light, and I don't trust him. If we came back to this realm just to realise that we should have stayed in the first place..." She shook her head. "It's not worth it. We should at least look for him."  
All I could think of was Midna shouting _We lost him! _when we returned. "We lost him." I repeated the words that floated around my head. "We have nowhere to look. Hyrule is vast, and there are many places he could hide."  
Link spoke up again. "He did talk a lot. Maybe he let slip some clue that could tell us where to go next." He suggested.  
I closed my eyes, focusing, trying to remember what he said. "He did say something about stopping Midna from killing Zant."  
"Which I've already done." Midna said, her voice growing excited. She looked at Link, who returned her a smile.  
"And something that has already happened can only be stopped from happening by altering the flow of time." I said, catching on to their thoughts.  
They both looked at me, and spoke at the same time. "The Temple of Time!"


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**Midna**

_(A.N.: Sorry I haven't updated in so long, but school's been mad, life's been mad... everything's been mad! But that lump of projects and exams are for the most part done, now, so I should be able to get back to updating regularly. This chapter may be a little bitty, as I've written bits of it over the last two weeks. But I hope you enjoy anyway!  
__**A huge, huge thanks with sprinkles on top to MajinMike and dex and john for adding me as a favourite author! **__A big thanks to MajinMike and Acid Kitty for adding The Return as a favourite story, and a huge clump of gratitude crystals to MajinMike and Reon-D-Anibis for your reviews. __MsNegative24 __deserves a special mention here for a review that spurred me on to get this chapter up at last, today. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR READING MY STORY! :D) _

I stretched my arms as I yawned, sitting back on the windowsill. With a glance out of the window, the sun rising over the edge of Hyrule Field told me it was just about morning. I shielded my uncovered eye for a moment, and then looked away.  
I turned my head from the window and looked at Link instead. He was still asleep, his ruffled hair splayed across the pillow and a contented half smile on his face. The sun rose high enough to throw sunlight across the room through the window, making his skin glow and turning his hair golden. I couldn't help smiling.  
I found myself staring for a moment, and then he opened his eyes and looked straight at me. He blinked a few times, squinting in the sunlight, and then smiled at me as he sat up. "Morning," He muttered, stifling a yawn.  
"Finally, you're awake! I'm pretty certain Zelda is waiting for you by now." I hastily returned my gaze to outside when he got out of bed, as I noticed he was only wearing his trousers, feeling my cheeks getting a little warm. It wasn't like I hadn't seen him half naked before, it was just that it caught me off guard every time. To think a ranch worker from the same village Mayor Bo came from was so toned and healthy looking... despite how little he had eaten recently.  
"You said 'pretty certain'. Does that mean you were watching me sleep all night?" I glanced round and allowed myself the guilty pleasure of watching him pull on his shirt.  
"Well, not all night." I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "But I don't find watching Zelda sleep anywhere near as interesting."  
He chuckled and fastened his shirt. "Shall we go meet her, then." I nodded and jumped down from the windowsill, heading over to the door while he pulled on his boots.  
I looked at the pile on the chair next to the bed which consisted of his tunic, chain mail... everything but his undershirt, trousers and boots. "I take it you're planning to come back here after breakfast, then?" He nodded. "Alright then, let's go." He followed me to the door.  
"Hm... Do you remember where the dining hall is?"

It was at least mid morning by the time they were anywhere near ready to leave, as it seemed that Zelda was not allowed to do anything alone without being drilled on every ounce of survival, healing and fighting knowledge she had. I was thoroughly sick of hearing it, but Link was already gone, so I had no other shadow to escape to. I was surprised Zelda wasn't getting annoyed at this point. She had so much more patience than I could ever bare to muster.  
I planned on returning to Link's shadow as soon as he came back, but one of the senior guards took him to one side and began asking him the same questions they had asked Zelda probably half an hour ago. I was getting restless.  
Thankfully, Link assured the guard that he wasn't out of practice, and that if anyone could protect Zelda, he could. The guard didn't really want to let him leave, obviously, but Link said he needed to check on his horse before they left. With a feeling of relief that I can't even describe, as he came to tell Zelda where he was going, I slipped into his shadow and followed him to the stables.  
When he found Epona, there was no one else around, so I slipped out of his shadow and floated over his shoulder. "I have just been stuck in Zelda's shadow listening to the captain of the guard play twenty questions with her – except not just twenty questions. Something more in the region of several hundred."  
He simply raised an eyebrow. "Tough morning?"  
I sighed. "Just a little..."  
He petted his horse a little and then went about fastening the saddle to her back once more. "Hey, Midna, why exactly _was _Zelda with you?" He looked over his shoulder at me.  
I settled onto a bale of hay. "Well, when I came back to this world, when I found Zelda, I had no strength left, so she wouldn't let me go alone."  
"So she's preparing to come with us this time, because...?"  
"I... don't actually know." In truth, I hadn't thought anything about it. "Maybe you should ask her?"  
"I choose to come with you because I feel like I should be doing something to help my people." I turned round to see Zelda standing at the entrance of Epona's stall.  
"Just because you're not going out and actively fending off anything that threatens Hyrule, doesn't mean you're not doing anything for your people." Link turned to look at the princess, too.  
She smiled at Link. "If you're trying to talk me out of going, it's not working, hero. You're not yet at full strength. Besides, I'm finding the experience quite enjoyable."  
I heard Link give a small, inward sigh. He looked up at Zelda, his expression tame and serious. "Not to be rude, Princess, but it's not meant to be enjoyable. I have a feeling that you've had it easy so far. It gets much, much harder, and you're very likely to get hurt."  
"Link." She politely cut him off and walked over to him, placing her hand over his, reassuringly. "The path of the hero is one you should not have to bear alone, especially not the second time. I wish to give you any help I can, and if I am harmed, it is my fault, not yours.  
Floating between the two of them, making them take a step back each, I looked at Zelda. "Not to be rude, Princess," my words sounded quite harsh. I would say they sounded more sarcastic than I intended them to be, but I did intend them to be sarcastic. "But Link was never alone on his first journey. _I _was there. And even if you say that your getting hurt is your fault, it will still cause a problem for Link."  
Zelda's gaze became a little cold. "If you believe I am such a fool that I would so easily get hurt and cause Link such a problem, what of you? What of that time that Link had to bring you to me, because you were so badly injured?"  
I gasped. Her words burned. First, she brings up that comment I made and sincerely regretted, and then she brings up _that _time. I was about to say something I probably would have regretted more, but Link interrupted me. "It really isn't a great idea to be fighting right now. I hate to say it, but you're going to make it difficult if you keep arguing, and I'll just go alone."  
"I apologise, Link. I am a little nervous about the journey ahead." Zelda didn't look at me, she kept looking at Link.  
Link nodded in reply to her, and then looked at me. I looked away. "Sorry..." I muttered.  
There was a pause as Link finished putting the bridle on Epona. He looked at Zelda. "Is everything ready?"  
She nodded. "Yes."  
"Then let's go." He hoisted himself up onto Epona's back. He got himself comfortable, and then held out a hand to help Zelda up onto the horse behind him. I watched him help her steady herself. He then held his hand out to me. I took it, and he pulled me up and sat me in front of him. He smiled down at me as he took the reins, his arms around me.  
I grinned. "Let's go!"


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**Link**

_(A.N.: Sorry it's been so long. Life has been busy, but... I have no excuse, really. The true reason is, I've just started playing Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, and am loving them so much I can't put them down, so I've been shirking my writing responsibilities... I have one chapter, but I'm on the Fire Temple. Says it all... :D  
Oh, and Chapter 25! Over 30,000 words! Yay! Have I told you guys it's looking like this will be over 100 chapters? I'm pretty sure it will be over 150 at this rate. Yes, I have no life. But this is more fun than life!  
__**Anyway, huge thank you shoutout to Blake-Hero of Tyme for adding me as a favourite author**__. Ya know I love ya for all your support :P Thanks to Blake-Hero of Tyme for yet another review, and to XPloylist for a few reviews and some great ideas. (Y'see that reason up there? That's your fault, my friend. :P) Thank you all!)_

Even if it was just for a few moments, Link was glad he could simply close his eyes and just enjoy being _himself. _It wasn't like he hated being a wolf – it was rather useful at times, and it was refreshing to see the world from a different point of view. But he was a Hylian, not a wolf, and being trapped as a wolf for so long had been an exasperating experience. He didn't want to live through that again, and he would be more than happy to not return to his wolf form for quite a while yet.  
His eyes jolted open as Epona changed direction uneasily, making him shift suddenly in the saddle. With a cursory glance around, he reset his feet in the stirrups and gave his horse a nudge with his heels to spur her on, directing her around the huge bird that was perched on the wall quite a way ahead of them. The bird was too far off to notice them, but Link didn't want to wake his companions by giving the bird a reason to attack. As Epona trotted steadily on, he glanced at the gloved hand on his shoulder, and then peered at Zelda's face.  
Zelda was asleep, one hand on his shoulder and her head resting against it. Her face was peaceful, her lips not set in the deep line that the dignity she held herself with required, but instead there was a small smile there. It may not have been the image of royalty, sleeping while on horseback, nor particularly comfortable, but Zelda still had the same serine beauty about her that she always did. Midna had insisted that they waste as little time as possible, and as Link wasn't particularly tired, he told both Midna and Zelda to sleep. If he did become worn out, Zelda was capable of riding, or they could stop for a few hours, but he hoped to get there in one journey if he could.  
Midna, who was sat in front of him, and had also fallen asleep, her head against his chest and held on the horse by his arm. It wasn't practical, and Link had been more comfortable without her there, but he didn't really mind. As long as he didn't have to make Epona move any faster than a trot, he could easily cope. He looked down at Midna and couldn't help smiling. In all the time they had spent together, he had never seen her sleeping. When they stopped to sleep, he would always be exhausted and would fall asleep before she did, and she would be there waking him up. Compared to her usual self, this was the picture of tranquillity. Her face showed no signs of stress, anger or contempt. It was quite an unusual sight.  
Link sighed, more from relief than anything else, at looked up at the sky. However many months ago it was, after Midna had left, this was just what he had wished for. Midna was back, and he was off on another adventure. Of course he wasn't forgetting how stressful and how scary his first adventure was, but after returning to the simple life of working at the ranch, he had craved adventure. He missed the weight of the chainmail under his tunic and the feel of the sword and the shield on his back. He'd taken to going away for a few days at a time, visiting everywhere he'd been on his journey. But with little else to do there other than talk to the people he had met and look at the scenery, he had even tired of the journey. The only thing he had done that had any purpose was visiting Telma's Bar in Castle Town to catch up with old friends before trekking through Gerudo Desert and through Arbiter's Grounds to the Mirror Chamber. He'd only made that journey to stop himself forgetting about what it looked like, and what had happened. It was his way of keeping the memory alive.  
With another sigh, this time a more negative one, he let his eyes drop back to the ground. He stared at nothing through hooded eyes and stifled a yawn. He realised that whenever the opportunity presented itself, he should probably go back to Ordon and pay a visit to Telma's Bar, just to let them know he was alright.  
"Link, stop worrying." He looked down in surprise. Midna stared back at him, her expression unreadable.  
"What?" He looked at the horizon ahead of them, lined with dark silhouettes of trees. "You're supposed to be asleep."  
She ignored him. "I can tell that you're worrying about something. You had that look on your face."  
"What look?"  
"You know, staring off into the distance with a sombre expression, like you were thinking really hard about something that upset you. Plus, you were sighing." She gave the trees a quick glance. "The chances are, one of the Castle guards will let something slip about you at Telma's Bar, Rusl will hear of it and he'll tell everyone back at Ordon. Besides, they know that you can look after yourself, and even when you don't look after yourself, it seems like someone else is there, looking after you, so you stay alive, no matter what." Her mouth curled up in the hint of a mischievous smile.  
He looked down at her in surprise that faded and gave way to a small smile. "How did you know that's what I was thinking about?"  
Her smile changed to one of satisfaction. "You can't deny that I know you, probably better than anyone."  
"No, you're right." Link looked into the distance again, this time in the direction of Gerudo Desert. "You do."

"So this is where the Sacred Grove is..." Zelda murmured, staring out over the abyss that was only broken by greenery.  
Link slipped down off Epona's back, his legs stiff and his vision a little blurred. He was glad, at least, that the creatures were gone and the odd poisonous mist had dissipated. But then again, walking the extra distance could've woken him up.  
Soon after Midna woke up, Zelda did too, no doubt roused by their talking. The two of them had insisted that he rest and let Zelda take the reins, as sleeping when they got to the Temple of Time would not have the time-saving effect they were hoping for. Despite them taking the longer route, through two of Hyrule's Fields and past Kakariko rather than straight to Faron Woods, Link hadn't got much sleep at all, and he doubted they had either. But little sleep was better than none.  
Link stumbled up to the ledge that overlooked the abyss they would have to cross and looked out to the first platform, and Midna floated up beside him. "So, how are we going to cross?"  
Link shrugged, rubbing his eye. "I suppose we could call Rusl's golden cuccoo..."  
"That would get one of you across. What about the other?"

Midna's fist connected with the back of his head. "You haven't thought about this at all, have you?" With an overly dramatic sigh, she held out a familiar black and orange shape. "Just turn into a wolf already and jump. After all, Zelda can't do that, now can she?"  
With a sigh, Link agreed. But before he touched the crystal, he turned to Zelda. "Have you ever flown with a cuckoo before?"  
"No, I can't say I have." She watched him as he picked a piece of leaf grass from the ground and used it like a whistle. He watched the cuccoo sidle its way through the grass and stop at his feet. Zelda sounded surprised. "I've never seen one that colour before."  
"I hadn't either, when Rusl showed it to me." He plucked the bird off the ground, sending it into a frenzy of flapping, spewing feathers from its wings that fluttered to the ground. Zelda bent down to pick one up and examined it. "Just hold it like this, and jump. That's really all there is to it."  
"That sounds rather... unsafe" She murmured, taking the flapping bird from him.  
Link made his way back up to the ledge where Midna was, talking to the Princess over his shoulder. "It's easy enough to jump from here. You won't fall as long as you don't let go."  
"Okay, I trust you." She replied.  
Link turned round to see Midna right in his face. With a start, he took a step back. Giving him an impatient look, she held out the crystal again. He sighed. "Alright, alright..." With obvious reluctance, he reached out to touch it, placing his hand over Midna's.


	26. Chapter 26

_SORRY SORRY SORRY! There is absolutely NO excuse for my abhorrent laziness and I give you my most profound apologies! There was a technical problem quite a while ago that set me back a bit with this story and took me a few weeks to put straight. After I fixed it, I dreaded the thought of writing more. I just couldn't get back into it. Then I went on holiday, where I vowed to myself I would continue, but there was no internet... Now, two weeks into the school term and after my holiday, I think it's high time I stop procrastinating. _

_That aside, big thank you to musicalfoxx and TheLoneWolfe90 for favouriting this story, and thanks to XPloylist, Blake-Hero of Tyme, Voice of Twilight and lars for reviewing. And a big thank you to everyone who is following and reading and who waited for me to get my backside in gear!_

_Oh, and on the spacing issue in previous chapters... I'll try to stop procrastinating on that, too, and do it today. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 26**

**Zelda**

I looked away as Link turned into a wolf. It wasn't pleasant to watch, and it was probably even less pleasant to experience. I found myself silently thanking the Goddesses that Zant allowed me to remain myself when I surrendered to the Twilight.

The memory of my surrender brought back bad memories. It made me feel like it was my fault that my people were turned to spirits. In a way, it _was_, but I knew the other alternative would have had even more negative repercussions. It didn't stop me from blaming myself, though. But now was not the time to think about that.

I turned my head back to the wolf before me as the Twili leapt onto his back. His only reaction was a short growl. Midna gave his sides a gentle kick and he turned to the ledge, the imp flew from his back to the outcropping and he jumped straight at her. The second he landed, there was a thump, and she was on his back again.

"No time to waste!" Midna called to me with a laugh. I looked nervously at the cuccoo cradled in my arms. I was biting my lip and I knew I shouldn't, but I felt it was suitable, considering my situation.

"I trust him..." I murmured to myself as I took the bird by its sides, turning my head as my face was buffeted by a flail of wings and a barrage of feathers. "Are you sure about this?" I called.

"Look, it worked for Link, and I'm pretty sure you weigh less than him!" Came the irritated reply.

I didn't even wait for Midna to finish before I jumped. _If I don't jump now, I never will! _The jump was both scary and exhilarating. I could feel empty air beneath my feet and the weight of my entire body on my arms, yet I felt... weightless. I almost couldn't stop myself from laughing when I realised that I was flying, and it wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be. It seemed all too soon when my feet were reaching for solid ground again.

Midna grinned. "Fun, isn't it?"

I nodded. "I expected it to be much worse."

She shrugged. "Don't get too disappointed, you're not done yet." With that, she floated to another ledge, and another when Link jumped after her. I didn't hesitate at jumping this time, and followed close behind them. Below us now were two bridges, quite far off. I was starting to worry if either of us could make it when Midna led the way. Link braced himself at the very edge, his paws working at the dirt.

Unable to watch him, I took a deep breath and leapt. I thought for a moment that I wouldn't make it, but I managed to get to the edge of the bridge. The cuccoo instantly scurried away as I let it go to catch the edge with my arms. I pulled myself up, probably looking less than graceful, but I was just glad that I'd made it. As I stood to brush myself down, Link's front paws skidded onto the bridge beside me as he struggled after me.

I took the cuccoo again. I felt a surge of childish nostalgia as I jumped to the next bridge, as I seemed to be living out the adventures I imagined as a child. All feeling of fear and apprehension was gone in an instant – I forgot that I could fall into the abyss at any moment with the slip of a hand, I forgot that any of us could die fighting, I forgot how dangerous this was. For my entire life, I'd had my every movement watched. I never had a chance to explore or anything. This adventure came with a sense of liberation, not just a sense of duty. I was _free_.

I shook myself out of my trance when we reached the entrance to the Sacred Grove. Midna let Link return to his human form, and I found myself looking away again. When I saw his sombre expression, the reality hit me. I shouldn't be so foolish to consider this an adventure. I had no idea what would happen to us.

Link led us into the Sacred Grove in silence and drew his sword. I considered doing the same, but I didn't see any danger. Midna looked at Link. "I don't think Skull Kid is here anymore. I can't hear any music."

Link paused and looked around. "In that case... Do you remember the way? I don't."

Midna shook her head. "You're so useless sometimes. But I guess it doesn't matter. This place isn't that big. We shouldn't get lost for too long." Link shrugged and walked on. We passed through some kind of entryway carved out of part of a tree.

"So this is the Sacred Grove..." I murmured.

Link nodded. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"It's so... undisturbed. So peaceful." I looked through the trees above. "I feel close to the Goddesses in a place like this."

"I guess there's a reason they call it the _Sacred_ Grove, then." Midna mumbled sarcastically.

I looked at Midna. "If I'm perfectly honest, I thought it was only called the Sacred Grove because it was the resting place of the Master Sword."

She looked thoughtful. "It is known in many legends as the sacred sword or something like that. But why would a sacred sword be put somewhere that's not sacred?"

"It's possible it was only placed here to make it more difficult to be found by anyone who's not the chosen hero." I watched her carefully consider my answer before shrugging and floating away from us. "This is an enlightening conversation and all, but you seem to have forgotten that we're kind of on an urgent mission here. Hurry up!"

I looked at Link. He shrugged, I sighed, and we followed Midna further into the forest.

* * *

We weren't wondering for long. I guess having been here before would help a lot when it come to finding your way around again. I was entirely lost. Every area of the forest seemed to look similar to at least one other. Either that, or we'd been walking around in circles and I hadn't even noticed.

We came out into a small area that appeared to be almost rounded with a tall tree stump in the middle, surrounded by a circle of smaller tree stumps. I noticed Link glancing around wearily, and wondered what had happened last time they were here. It made me realise just how little of the lands I ruled I had actually personally experienced. After all, I'd never been attacked on Hyrule Field before, even though it was apparently a very dangerous place.

We passed the tree stumps without incident. There was a small path, almost like a crack, which led us to what looked to me like ruins. I couldn't help staring in amazement. Even through the years of disrepair, what was left of the walls and the statues that stood proud gave the impression of an awe striking building.

Link smiled at me. "Welcome to the heart of the Sacred Grove." He beckoned with his hand and led me through a doorway next to what looked like a crumbled staircase. He climbed up to what would have been the second floor and turned back to me to help me up. Gesturing for me to follow once again, he led me to an old pair of stone doors. "Welcome," He muttered, looking up at the doors, then turning to me. "To the Temple of Time."

He pushed open the doors. For a moment I felt disorientated and could see nothing but white, but as my eyes adjusted, I saw a grand hall before me, worthy of being called a temple. Light filtered through the tall windows and dappled the marble floor, giving the room an almost other-worldly light. The room seemed dulled, greyed, but no less impressive. I even swore I could hear a haunting melody echoing from deep within every wall. I followed them into the hall, almost in a daze. As I turned back to the door behind us, the feeling of disorientation returned. "We... We're in the ruins..." I murmured, half to myself.

Midna floated back towards the stairs behind us. "When the Master Sword was returned to its pedestal, it allowed the doors to be opened. The doors act like an inter-dimensional barrier, of sorts. When you pass through them, you're transported back to the Temple in its complete state."

"It's amazing..." I breathed. "I've read about the hailed beauty of the Temple of Time, but I never once imagined I would see it for myself... Especially since I heard that it was reduced to ruin." I looked at Link. He had been watching our conversation, but something else had caught his attention. He was looking through the doorway guarded by the statues with undisguised suspicion. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he began to run. Midna and I ran after him into the next room. All that was there was a pedestal in the centre of the room.

"That wasn't there before!" Midna hissed once we caught up with Link. She was staring at a pair of doors, opposite the doorway we had come through.

"Someone went in there." Link muttered before striding over and pushing the doors open. It revealed a room much like the first hall, but smaller. At the end of the room there were steps up to an altar.

"We found you!" Midna growled. She was staring at the figure behind the altar. Kness. He began to laugh. It wasn't a pleasant sound at all. "What are you laughing about? We have you trapped. The only way in or out of this room is this door, and we're not going to let you get there."

His laughter faded to a chuckle before he spoke. "I planned to be here. In fact, I'm glad you could join me. I don't intend to use that door. After all, I have this..." He picked up a blue object from the altar and raised it to show us, and all of a sudden his plan became clear to me.

"That... That's the Ocarina of Time!"


	27. Chapter 27

_I can't believe how long it's been since I wrote some of this story... I'm probably a little rusty! Now, when I started writing this, I had no idea where I was going with the story. I was just going to wing it and hope it was a good ride or something... But yesterday I had a thought, and I at least know what's happening for the next 10 chapters or so, and I know the general direction of the story and the theories I'm using, et cetera, et cetera. One of them allows me to introduce characters like Dark Link and Dark Zelda (why shouldn't there be a Dark Zelda if there's a Dark Link?), but I thought before I make any huge plans like that (as I don't even know exactly what to do with those characters yet) I should ask you guys for your opinions. So, feel free to tell me in your reviews ^.^_

_Anyway, I have a fair few shoutouts to get though here, so here goes..._

_Big thanks for favouriting me goes to: TheTalesofFlamesFan and Zeldassassin_

_Many thanks for favouriting my story to: InuyashaElric, Tenshi no Genei, scorpio1182, xFenris Tempestx, Sage of Winds, TheTalesofFlamesFan, griffinbruno, Ansleoth, david davidson and Zeldassassin._

_Love and joy and hearts filled with rainbows for your reviews to: XPloylist, Dire Heart, Blake-Hero of Tyme, TwiliGirl300, Lars, zack1399 and willawesomesauce._

_So, here you go, the latest chapter. All I have to say is... Yay, Midna angst ^.^_

* * *

**Chapter 27**

**Midna**

"Very good, my little Light Princess..." He chuckled and examined the Ocarina. "It's amusing to think such a strange little thing could actually control time."

"You don't even know how to use it..." Link muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"That's where you're wrong, Hylian. I've done my research."

"Then you would know that the Ocarina itself does not have the power to change the flow of time unless it is used alongside the Master Sword." Zelda interjected.

The other Twili smirked. "I do. In fact, I know that the Ocarina of Time alone has only the power to turn back time, and luckily, that's all I need it for..."

"So, what?" I spat. What do you plan to _do_ with it? Reverse time back to before Zant was killed? He'll just be killed again!"

"Correction – reverse time back to before _you _killed Zant and-"

"And not even notice as he is killed again." Zelda interrupted. Surprisingly calm, she continued. "You seem to be overestimating your power. The Ocarina of Time was only intended to be used in the time period it was used in, and in that time period alone. It's practically an ancient power now, and although magic still sleeps with it, it is a withered power. Not only will the results you reap from using it be unpredictable and perhaps even dangerous, but when you go back in time, you will not remember a thing. None of us will."

"Silence." He hissed.

I watched in surprise as Zelda raised her chin slightly and continued talking, raising her voice slightly. Even Link's eyes widened and he took a small step back. "I sense that the power left in the Ocarina can only send consciousness back in time, no physical forms or objects, so attempting to retain something to remind you of what has happened, or, rather, what was going to happen will be exercise in futility."

"I told you to be silent, you impudent Light-Dweller!" Kness shouted.

Both Link and myself turned, shocked, to watch Zelda's reaction. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she took a step towards the Twili. "To reverse the flow of time now would simply cause these current events to repeat, time and time again. If there is not enough power in the Ocarina, none of us will ever realise and we will be forever stuck in a repeating limbo. For all we know, this may be the thousandth time we've lived through this encounter. "

"That is untrue." Kness' bright orange eyes settled on Link. "Hero, in every battle, is there not a small part of a victory or a loss that can be accounted to luck, and luck alone?"

Link shook his head. "I don't know."

"A possibility out of your control that your blade should not strike true?" He pressed.

I took a step in front of Link, focusing Kness' attention on me. "Are you implying that in the event that the outcome of a battle is not pre-determined by fate, that fighting for victory is simply gambling?"

"In a way." He replied. "Don't you see, Midna? With a power like this..." He carefully examined the Ocarina. "The Twili could rule everything, everyone! Even the Light World..."

"I have no interest in ruling over the Light World or even removing historical artefacts from their place in this world!" I growled. "Only Zant and his followers were interested in such a thing!"

"If it would make the people happy, Midna, isn't it your place as the Princess to see that it is done?" He smiled slyly at me before his form disintegrated into fading twilight particles. I lowered my gaze to the ground.

There was silence for a moment. "How are we supposed to know where he's gone?" Link asked.

I heard Zelda sigh. "Chances are, he's playing the Song of Time right this moment... If only we knew where he was..."

"There are too many places to look!" Link replied.

Zelda was silent for a moment. "Then all we can do it wait for time to be reversed and hope there is something we can do to stop this from happening a second time."

I heard Link's frustrated growl before he paused. "Midna?"

I looked up to see them both looking at me before I cast my eyes back to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Zelda turned to face me and knelt down in front of me to be at eye level.

"I... I just feel like I've lost the respect of all of the Twili." I looked at my hands, my deformed, impish hands. "As a daughter of a noble family, I was already more powerful than most of the Twili, and when I became their Princess, I had even more power, but..." I let my arms fall to my sides and my fingers dig into my palms as my hands curled into fists. "Now that Zant had exposed a way to weaken me, it seems like they all want to overthrow me."

"I thought you said Zant and his supporters were a very small minority?" Link attempted to reason.

"They are," I muttered. "but the group is comprised of mostly nobles, and therefore they are a very powerful group. Combining the power of all of the Twili who are opposed to them might just match their strength. And in light of recent events I wouldn't be surprised if some of my supporters have turned to Zant's side instead..."

"That's right – you were elected over Zant as ruler by pure numbers. You were worried you might lose to him if it came to a power struggle between his supporters and yours." Link was half muttering to himself.

I couldn't help smiling a little, realising he'd remembered that. "Zelda, your people are, if anything, more in support of you now that they're safe, right?"

She nodded. "To prevent us needing to explain about the Twili when we told the people of our victory they believed it was down to my efforts."

We gasped in surprise as the Song of Time began echoing throughout the temple. It sounded as if Kness was on the very top floor of the temple, and there wasn't enough time for us to get to him before the Ocarina of Time would work its magic, and so the three of us shared knowing looks.

As my senses began fading, I glanced back at the altar of the Ocarina. "In that case, I'm just going to have to save my people and prove to them my worth as a leader..."


End file.
